Son of the Overlord
by Sleepy Soviet
Summary: The story of the Overlord that is the "Old Overlord"(i.e the man who possessed the wizard) in Overlord I. R&R please. I am now at Basic Training and will resume writing upon my return to a place with internet.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Well, this is my first story. Any constructive critisism will be greatly appreciated. **

**Son of the Overlord**

**By: RussianOverlord**

**Introduction**

The Overlord stood on the balcony of the Dark Tower, staring out at the beautiful sunrise that was appearing over the mountains._ How utterly disgusting the prettiness of nature is_, he thought to himself._ It makes me want to go beat Spree's sheep herds on the head with a flaming torch again._ The Overlord took a sip of rowan root tea he held in his hand and sighed deeply. _Despite all the destruction I have wrought, the lives I have shattered, the civilizations I have brought under my heel, I am still too human_, he thought moodily. His age was really starting to have an effect on him. No longer could he cleave men shoulder-to-hip as he had done ten years ago. In fact, just wearing his Arcanium armor was taxing and swinging a mace one-handed was out of the question. The Overlord sighed again. He needed an heir, and fast, before he died and the Tower fell into ruin once more to begin the never-ending cycle of the rise and fall of the Overlords. _No!_ He thought. _I have worked too hard and spilled too much blood to build my Dark Domain to have it fall apart to a few wannabe heroes after I am too weak to fight._

"Master?" A voice said behind the Overlord. "Do you require my service?"

"Yes Gnarl," the Overlord said. "I need an heir to my throne and a way to find a suitable candidate."

"I have been thinking about this problem of late as well master," Gnarl said, clapping his clawed hands together. "Shall I begin scouring the lands for suitable females who shall, in time, produce the next Overlord?"

The Overlord chuckled dryly. "Gnarl, I think you're underestimating how old I am. It's so easy to lose track under all this armor, but I am, in fact, seventy years old as of last week." Gnarl saw the world swim before his eyes; he felt a bit dizzy and slumped down on the cold floor of the Overlord's private quarters.

"Seventy?" He gasped. "I thought that the continuation of your line would have been a top priority Master," Gnarl said after recovering from his shock. "After you brought the world to its knees, I thought that the question of an heir would be resolved quickly, especially with so many willing candidates only waiting for you to ask," he said.

Gnarl sat down on the floor once more and cradled his head in his hands. "I believe I may have found a solution, Master," Gnarl said after a few minutes of concentrated thinking. "It would be fitting to hold a tournament in which the tasks will be similar to the challenges a real Overlord would face. The one who wins will become the new Overlord and rule in your stead, thus preserving your Dark Domain."

"Very well," the Overlord said with a sigh, "but how are we going to find suitable candidates for this tournament?"

"I will send out minions to search for citizens of you Dark Domain with a potential for great Evil," Gnarl replied.

"All right Gnarl," the Overlord said with a trace of humor. "Just no trolls."

A/N: Review please! I'll upload the next segment soon.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Chapter 1 uploaded yay!**

**Chapter I: Hanson Strongarm Comes to Spree**

The sunrise the Overlord had found disgusting and had made the Dark Master of the World want to beat sheep herds on the head had flourished into an equally repulsive sunny day with clear, blue skies. It was on this particular day, sometime around noon when Hanson Strongarm came up the dusty road to the village called Spree.

He hollered "Hello there!" at the two napping guards on top of a log wall. The guards awoke with a start, tripped over the pitchforks they used as spears and scrambled over each other to be the first to get a look at the stranger. They found themselves looking down at a ruggedly handsome man who looked like was in his early twenties with black hair and a 5 o'clock beard. He was wearing comfortable woolen traveling clothes and carried a knapsack.

"Will you let me in?" he asked. The two guards waved him towards the gate and heaved on the wooden wheel that controlled the opening and closing of the village gate. Once the gate was opened, Hanson walked in and set out towards the village tavern.

The tavern owner, a man in his fifties looked Hanson up and down before asking in a rasping voice, "waddaya want?"

"Some food and beer, if you can spare it," Hanson replied.

"10 gold," the owner said as he polished a glass and set rack of lamb on a spit over a fire while Hanson put several coins down on the bar stand and sat down to wait.

While Hanson was waiting, a commotion broke out in front of the tavern. Three young men walked into the tavern and stopped in front of Hanson. All the men wore expensive looking black tabards with black satin pants. The leader, whose tabard had a red trim looked down at Hanson haughtily and said "so you're the new one, eh?"

"Yes," Hanson replied, "I am."

"You see, stranger, there's a fee for entering the village and we're here to collect it."

"I didn't see any notices of entry taxes and even if I had, I wouldn't pay anything to a bunch of petty thieves," Hanson said. The leader of the gang grew so red with rage that it matched the trim on his tabard and he yelled "How _dare _you!" He gestured to his men regally and said, "kill him and bring me his head!"

The leader's accomplices drew daggers and charged full pelt at Hanson while he picked up the chair he was sitting on and swung it at the first man. The Bandit didn't have time to dodge and the chair smashed into the man's face, breaking his skull. He died instantly, never quite realizing what hit him. Hanson vaulted over the bar of the tavern and picked up a spit. As the second man began to vault, Hanson thrust the spit at neck level and the thief skewered himself on it. He gave a feeble twitch and died. The leader stared speechlessly as Hanson took down two of him men in around eight seconds. He realized the best place to be was elsewhere and took off at a run with Hanson hot on his heels while the townsfolk gaped.

"What's going on?" One man asked his drinking partner.

"A race?" His partner replied after scratching his head and thinking deeply.

**Dark Tower**

Gnarl was running up the stairs to the Overlord's private quarters for the second time that day.

"Master!" He panted. "Did you…"

"Yes Gnarl," the Overlord replied. "I felt it too. There is someone in Spree with great Evil potential and would make a fitting candidate for our 'contest.' Fetch him"

**Spree**

Hanson had almost caught up to the thief leader when around twenty bandits came out of Spree's alleys, formed a barrier between Hanson and their leader and pulled out their weapons.

**Mellow Hills Tower Gate**

Gnarl and thirty fully armed browns stepped off the portal and hastened towards Spree. The townsfolk were so busy watching Hanson chase the bandit leader that they forgot to bar the gate. The brown minions pushed and the gates swung open with ease. The minions hurried towards where the townsfolk were clustered and disappeared in the bushes to get to the Evil person or persons unknown unseen.

Hanson had grabbed an axe from the woodcutter and was using it to keep the bandits at bay. Suddenly, a group of strange brown creatures appeared at his elbow and proceeded to stare at him. Hanson stared back along with the twenty bandits, unsure what to do next. Then, a wizened creature, ash-grey skinned and with wispy white hairs prodded him with its walking stick and said, pointing at the bandits, "If you were to point at those irksome fancily dressed irritations, the minions would attack them." Unsure of himself, Hanson pointed at the twenty bandits. Instantly, the strange-looking creatures shouted war cries and charged the bewildered bandits. At first, some of the bandits laughed at the three-foot creatures. A few seconds later, the laughter turned to screams of pain as the brown creatures scythed through the line of bandits like a hot knife through butter. The bandit leader was speechless once again as all twenty of his men were reduced to a pile of corpses in around half a dozen seconds. He was surrounded by the creatures and disarmed.

"Your time has come, Hanson Strongarm," The wizened creature spoke from its position by Hanson's elbow. "Do what you will with this nauseating excuse for a bandit? Set him free, capture him or dispose of him and leave his carcass to rot as a warning to other 'bandits?'"

"Spare me, please!" The bandit whined. "My name is Nicholas and my father is King William the Paladin and he will pay generously for my safe return!"

"No, I think not," Hanson said. "You tried to kill me with twenty-two men, but I survived. Clearly someone has it in for you." Hanson took several steps forward and separated Nicholas' head from the rest of his royal body. The browns cheered, happy for to see blood and the grey creature, who was Gnarl if you hadn't guessed that yet dear reader, nodded approvingly. _This one shows great promise_, Gnarl mused. _We could stop the competition right now because Evil walks hand-in-hand with this man. However, it would be amusing watching him dispose of the rest of the candidates._

Gnarl said none of this to Hanson, who was still staring at Nicholas' corpse.

"Where will you go now?" Gnarl asked.

"I plan to continue south, towards Castle Spree and beyond," Hanson replied. "Why do you ask?"

"I thought that you might like to go to our Master's Tower in repayment for saving your life," Gnarl said. Before Hanson could reply, Gnarl conjured a small dose of magic in his hand and touched Hanson's elbow. The young man dropped like a log, kicking up some dust as he fell.

"Grab him and head back to the tower," Gnarl ordered. Ten browns grabbed Hanson and set out towards the Mellow Hills gate. "Try not to drop him," Gnarl said. "He's not a sack of gold." The browns grunted in response and gently set the knocked-out Hanson on the Tower Gate. Hanson disappeared in a flash of red light and the minions stepped on the portal to be teleported back themselves.

**Dark Tower**

Hanson's form appeared hovering above the Tower Portal, a pool filled with water that had the power to teleport its user anywhere within the Dark Domain of the Overlord. Several minions grabbed Hanson and carried him to an empty room in the Tower. Servants placed the man on a bed and covered him with a blanket. Then, the waiting began with Gnarl staring out the window of the room, waiting for his spell to wear off.

**A/N: R&R please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks to my one reviewer. =( Well, here's chapter 2**

**Chapter II: Voluntary Obligation**

Hanson awoke in a comfortable bed in an airy room with an open window. The summer breeze blew through the window and birds chirped on the trees outside his window. Suddenly, the chirping stopped and the smell of roasting bird wafted through the window. Hanson got out of bed and looked outside. Outside his window, around fifty feet down, red minions were throwing fireballs at singing birds, sometimes even roasting them in mid-flight.

"Ah, you're awake," Gnarl said from his position by the door. Hanson began to move, but his head began to swim and he sank to his knees.

"I advise against rapid movement for now," Gnarl said. "The spell has to wear off fully first. Usually those hit with this spell sleep for at least another twelve hours. You show an unusual tolerance for magic for a simple man. Where do you come from?"

"I come from the Northlands," Hanson replied. "At least, that's where I lived my entire life so far. I worked as a woodcutter until I set out to seek my fortune down south. I traveled by boat until I arrived in Heaven's Peak and continued towards Spree on foot. The rest of the story, you already know."

Gnarl nodded and considered the man's words. Hanson was definitely dressed for a colder climate than the eternal summer of Mellow Hills and his choice of weaponry at the Spree confrontation a day ago definitely supported his claims of being a woodcutter.

"Who are you, might I ask," Hanson inquired. "After all, you did kidnap me, so I believe an explanation is in order."

"I am Gnarl, Minion Master and Loyal Servant of Darkness," Gnarl said with a bow. "And I brought you here to be a contestant in the tournament to choose a new Overlord."

**Northlands**

King William swung with his sword of the Light, cleaving the zombie in half. Around him, other paladins struck out with their weapons of choice against the undead that were blocking them from the cave entrance. _That foul sorcerer will pay for this, _William thought. He felt pity for the villagers that had been killed and raised as a shambling horde of zombies to serve the evil sorcerer's bidding. By the time the villagers had gotten an audience with him, fifty people had been transformed into the horde that William was slashing at right now. Even though William had brought a score of paladins and threescore swordsmen, they were outnumbered by the zombie horde that had reached sixty by the time William had arrived. Despite the numerical disadvantage, William's forces had battled bravely, cutting the zombies down to twenty. Now, William and his men prepared for what they hoped would be the final assault. The wind cut to the bone and the snow crunched beneath the men's armored boots as they charged. The last few zombies were cut to pieces and the men cheered. The cave mouth yawned before the fifty-one men and the wind whistled shrilly through the black looming hole in Nordberg Mountain.

"Forward!" William yelled, pointing his sword at the cave mouth. The men cheered as they ran forward towards the cave. Then, a fireball soared out, enveloping ten of William's swordsmen. As a second fireball hurtled towards William, he summoned the forces of the light to form a shield around himself. The sorcerer, who had stepped out of the cave mouth, attempted to penetrate William's shield with more fireballs, but they dissolved into nothingness as they hit.

The sorcerer then gathered Dark Energy around himself and formed a field of Darkness around his staff. The sky darkened from the power of the spell and William felt something invisible crushing his shield. The paladin king closed his eyes and focused all his power into his shield. William's years of devotion to the Light paid off: the energy around him shone so brightly that it shattered the sorcerer's evil spell and sent some of the energy flying back at him. The sorcerer collapsed on the ground, shuddering and losing blood.

William walked up to where the sorcerer lay. Blood flowed from the sorcerer's lips and froze when it dropped to the ground. His lips moved, he was trying to say something! William bent down and heard the rasping voice.

"You will travel all over this world and vanquish many evils through the power of the Light," the dying man said. "But remember : every light has its shadow, and even the brightest candle can be put out. Above all else however, remember that Evil will always find a way…"

The sorcerer went limp and his last breath left him. William closed the man's eyes and stood up, walking towards his horse. On the way back to the village, William pondered the sorcerer's ominous message: _Evil will always find a way…_ William shook his head to clear it. _If that was a prophecy, _he thought. _I'd best be on my guard…_

**Dark Tower**

"A new Overlord?" Hanson asked. "What happened to the old one?"

"Nothing, but he is getting old," Gnarl said with a sigh. "Have you not noticed the lack of fear in Spree? Five years back, pants turned brown at the very _mention_ of him."

Hanson had heard legends about the Overlord, a powerful warrior backed by a Demonic Army that had swept through the lands, conquering all before them until he was met by King William, a mighty paladin, who was blessed by the light. The two armies met in battle, but neither could win and the two leaders made a treaty that would let the Overlord keep what he had conquered but forbid him from conquering any more. The border between the Overlord's Dark Domain and the rest of the world was a massive canyon called Deathwind Pass that was created when William and the Overlord's most powerful spells met in midair, splitting the land and making it devoid of any life.

"Unfortunately, the treaty prevented the Overlord from expanding his Dark Domain or we would have found you sooner," Gnarl said. "Now you must make your choice, Hanson Strongarm."

"What choice?" Hanson asked

"Will you participate in the competition or will you repay the Overlord through menial labor in the dungeons?" Gnarl inquired.

"Glory or slow death?" Hanson asked himself. "It seems I don't really have a choice," Hanson said, turning to look at Gnarl. "Do I?"

"Indeed you don't," the Minion Master said. "It's a voluntary obligation…"

A/N: Review plz!


	4. Chapter 8

**Chapter III: Eight is Company**

"Seeing as I really have no choice, I accept," Hanson said.

"Excellent," Gnarl said. "Now we will have eight candidates and we no longer have to look for any more." Gnarl opened Hanson's door, looked out into the hallway and called out "Giblet!"

A brown minion with a welder's mask ran through the door and hopped up on Hanson's bed.

"This is our Forge Master Giblet," Gnarl said. "He will measure you to build you a set of armor and a weapon of your choice for the upcoming competition."

"Stand up please," Giblet said.

Hanson stood up and Giblet began to measure him. While he worked Giblet asked "What weapon you want?"

"An axe I guess," Hanson replied.

Giblet nodded, wrote something down on a piece of parchment and headed out of the door.

"It's best if you don't go out of your room while not wearing your armor," Gnarl said as he prepared to leave. "The helmet will create a shroud of darkness to hide your features from others." Hanson nodded his understanding and Gnarl left the room. _Evil is growing stronger and stronger with this one,_ the old minion mused while walking down to the spawning pits.

**Northlands**

William rode out of the town that had sheltered him and his men for the night out of gratitude for the demise of the sorcerer. As the King and his forces were leaving, a caravan left the town and drew abreast with the forty-one men.

"Where are you going?" he asked, slightly confused. "The threat is gone."

"This place is evil," the caravan leader replied. "As soon as one evil falls, it is replaced by another. We're going to the other side of the mountain to start a new town."

"What will you call it?" William asked.

"Nordberg," the villager replied. The two parties went their separate ways: William to the bay and the caravan to the mountain pass. Neither party was aware that forty-two years from this very day, Midwinter's Eve, a ten-year-old child the Nordbergians would call "Witch-Boy" would come to Nordberg and be handed over to the Glorious Empire by the townspeople in attempt to save their town. None were aware that thirteen years later, the boy would return a fully grown Overlord and bring the people under his iron heel…

**Dark Tower**

A knock on the door startled Hanson, who was watching reds throwing fireballs at one another in something equivalent to the snowball fights Hanson had participated in while living in the Northlands.

Hanson opened the door and saw Giblet and three other minions who were carrying a wooden crate.

"Your armor and weapon ready!" Giblet said. The three other browns placed the crate on the floor and took off the top. Inside lay a suit of steel armor and a single headed war axe.

"Stand still," Giblet ordered as he and the other minions began to take out the armor. Hanson did as he was told and the browns began to assemble the armor on him as if he was a 3-D puzzle. A few minutes later Hanson stood fully armored in his room, battle axe in hand. It was a fearsome-looking weapon with a spike at the top that Hanson assumed was used for stabbing. The bottom of the axe haft was no less dangerous as it had what looked like a miniature mace on it. Hanson swung the axe experimentally and was rewarded with a deep whooshing noise.

"Gnarl waiting in training room," Giblet said as he and the other three minions left. Hanson nodded and descended to the throne room and then a few more flights of stairs to the training room.

"Ah, you've found your way in here," Gnarl said as Hanson entered. "Excellent, excellent."

"Why did you want me to come down here?" Hanson asked

"You must be tested to make sure that you have the strength necessary to wield your new weapon," Gnarl answered. "We can't have you falling down after a few swings now can we?" Hanson shrugged and raised his axe.

"See if you can shatter that training dummy," Gnarl said, pointing at a wooden mannequin.

**Capital City**

King William's return to his kingdom was a national celebration. He was greatly loved by his people because of how much he cared for them all. His daughter, Elizabeth, was waiting in the throne room. Yet something was wrong, William felt it in the atmosphere of the room. His suspicions were confirmed when Elizabeth hugged him tightly and said through tears, "Father, Nicholas has been found dead in a village called Spree along with all twenty of his guards! The villagers spoke of creatures that only the Overlord could command!"

"The Overlord? But we had a treaty of peace!" William said angrily. "That bastard will pay for this. Send word to all my troops: we march on the Dark Tower!"

**Dark Tower**

"You have all agreed to participate in this competition to inherit my title," the Overlord began. "You are here because there is Evil in your hearts and you have proven yourselves worthy in some way to be the next Overlord. You have been armed and armored according to your preferences and have spent a week honing your combat skills. Tomorrow the first task of the contest begins and by tomorrow evening, there will be only four of you standing before me. Tomorrow's task is Gold Gathering. He who has more gold than his opponent wins and advances to the next round. However, there are two ways to win. The first and more obvious way to win is to have more gold when the time runs out. The second option is to eliminate your opponent. While this may not seem fair, remember that if you are an Overlord, there are no rules. Thus, these tasks also lack rules." The candidates looked at one another, trying to determine exactly who it would be unwise to fight. "Now, pick a color to represent you," the Overlord said, shaking the candidates out of their reverie. Eight servants came forward, each bearing an Overlord cloak of a different color: red, blue, green, yellow, black, white, orange and gray.

Each man picked a color (Hanson picked red) and the servants fastened the cloaks around their shoulders.

"Sleep well," the Overlord said. "Tomorrow begins the first challenge…"

**Next Morning…**

Hanson descended to the Throne Room of the Dark Tower and found that four of the other candidates were already there.

"That's five…" Gnarl murmured as he checked off something on a piece of parchment. "What would you like for an after task lunch that includes beer?"

"I'm sorry," Hanson said. "What?"

"The first task is in the Golden Hills, the realm of the dwarves. Everything edible there comes with beer, so choose."

"Mutton, I guess then," Hanson said. "I hear that goes well with beer."

Gnarl snorted and started to laugh. "I certainly hope that no more bandits show up, for their sake," he said, chuckling quietly to himself. Hanson also laughed and sat down in a reinforced chair to wait.

"Eight candidates begin today, but only four will get to stay!" The five men looked at the source of the noise: a brown minion in a jester cap with a jester stick was doing cartwheels around the throne room and singing "Eight candidates…"

The jester continued to do cartwheels and sing the same song until the Overlord descended from his private quarters. The Overlord wasted no time in punting the jester into a wall, putting an abrupt end to his concert.

"If he gets on your nerves, don't hesitate to give him a good kick," the Overlord said as the three final candidates appeared. "Now, step through the Portal and wait for the rest of us," he said, indicating the pool of water to the candidates' left. With a shrug, Hanson stepped up to his knees into the pool and vanished.

**Golden Hills**

The eight would-be Overlords, Gnarl and the Dark Lord appeared in a mountainous area near a mine.

"In that mine is where the first task will take place," the Overlord began. "The two opponents will take one of those two waypoint gates to their starting areas and the competition will begin. The first pair will be red and blue."

Hanson and the blue candidate stepped out of the line and walked towards the waypoint gates. Hanson looked at his opponent and saw that he wielded a large and lethal-looking mace. _I hope I don't get hit by that,_ Hanson thought as he stepped on the waypoint gate and disappeared.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter IV: Grab N' Go**

Hanson stepped off the portal and looked around. He was in a large chamber that was half shrouded in darkness. Torches burned in their holders and the pillars cast deep shadows. Railroad tracks lay along the floor and led deeper into the mine.

"Command us!" many voices around him said. Hanson looked down and noticed that he was surrounded by thirty brown minions.

"Let's go then," Hanson said and began to follow the tracks deeper into the mine. The minions fell into step behind and kept silent. Hanson followed the tracks into a tunnel which led into another chamber. Instantly, Hanson's attention was caught by the large cart of gold that stood on the tracks. He walked up to the cart to examine it and heard several voices yelling

"Get him!"

"He's stealing our gold!"

Several dwarf miners appeared and charged Hanson and his minions. Remembering Spree, Hanson pointed his armored hand at the miners. The thirty heavily armed browns attacked and quickly overwhelmed the dwarves. Hanson pointed at the cart and ten minions ran forward, picked it up, and began to move in the direction of the portal.

"Once you put it down, catch up," Hanson said to the minions. The browns nodded and made their way, slightly grunting under the weight, back up the tunnel.

Hanson looked around the chamber, spotted another tunnel leading out of the chamber. He continued along the tunnel until he came to a fork. Hanson stood and waited at the fork until the ten minions he had sent to carry gold had caught up to him. Once they did, Hanson pondered which way was best to go. _Usually, the deeper one goes in a mine, the more gold there is. Left it is._

The small army went into the left tunnel and Hanson's logic was rewarded as his gold amount increased exponentially. At last, the party reached the bottom of the mine. There, in a large chamber, on a raised platform stood a 30-foot statue of the Overlord. It was made mostly of gold except for the eyes, which were made of the largest rubies Hanson had ever seen, larger even that the ones that decorated the Dark Tower. As Hanson made his way towards the golden giant, it became apparent that there was a note attached to the base. It read: _Whoever carries this out of the mine first wins automatically._

Hanson was about to order his minions to grab the statue and get out of the mine when something slammed into his back. Hanson rolled ten feet and slammed into a column stomach-first, knocking the breath out of him. Almost instantly, his browns were helping him up and handing him his axe.

Hanson looked up and saw that standing where he had been a few seconds ago was the blue candidate.

"If you want to live, you'll let me take the statue," he said, pointing his mace one-handed at the statue. "Unless you'd rather die of course."

Hanson was sure that if his opponent wasn't wearing a helmet he would be able to see a smug, mocking, self-assured smile. Hanson's blood boiled at the fact that his opponent had snuck up on him like a cowardly thief instead of engaging him in open combat. Hanson fought an inner battle with himself to control his anger. Finally, it died down and Hanson was able to look at the situation critically.

Hanson looked at his left hand and almost yelped: his entire forearm, all the way up to his elbow, was wreathed in flames. A moment later, the fire shifted its' shape to lie, magma like, on the young man's arm.

**"COMMAND ME," **a thunderous voice intoned, shaking the roof of the chamber.

Hanson's opponent, who had been standing confidently moments ago, shrank back, trying to slip back into shadows

**"I DON'T THINK SO," **Hanson yelled, but his voice had deepened into a roar and become identical to the voice of the entity that had spoken earlier. Hanson punched the air in front of him in the direction of the blue candidate, and a jet of flames streaked towards the fleeing man. Midway, the flames changed shape once more and formed a massive dragon, made entirely out of orange and red flame. The dragon accelerated towards its' target and slammed directly into the man's chest plate.

The Eastern wall of the chamber exploded, sending man sized blocks of rock shooting across the chamber. Hanson saw one flying at him, ducked, but it never even grazed him. Instead, Hanson was hit with molten rock and small fragments. He looked up and saw that the flames had formed a dome around him, warding all harm away from him. The dome, made up of black flames, was the last thing Hanson saw before he fell into unconsciousness…

**Ruborian Desert**

William looked out at the trackless desert that lay between him and the heartlands of the Overlord's domain: the Golden Hills, Evernight, Heaven's Peak and the Mellow Hills countryside. William scanned the horizon impatiently, waiting for the desert raiders to arrive. The shadowy people of the desert had agreed to guide William and his army across their desert and towards the Golden Hills.

"No sign of them, milord," a knight said as he rode up to the king. "Perhaps we should go without them?'

"Impossible, Sir Tomas," William answered. "If thirst and hunger don't finish you off, the sand worms will. The only way across is with the guidance of the shadow raiders." The knight bowed and moved towards his column.

"If you plan to cross the desert in a week, we best get moving now," a silky, shadowy voice intoned. King William, his daughter and all the royal bodyguards jumped in their saddles and looked for the source of the voice.

"On your right," the voice spoke again, but this time with a touch of humor. William located the source, a black-clad man, hooded and cloaked that had appeared noiselessly before the king.

"You're the one that will guide us across, I take it?" William inquired. The raider nodded and began to walk across the desert. He beckoned, and William's 100,000-man army, including the king, followed.

**Golden Hills Mine**

Hanson came to with thirty pairs of yellow eyes staring at him. The second his eyes opened, he was lifted to his feet and his axe was handed to him. Hanson wavered on his feet and hung on to a nearby pillar for support. He pointed at the golden statue.

"Grab it," he ordered and began to stumble out of the mine.

He emerged into bright sunlight, his minions laden with gold and carrying the statue behind him, grunting at the effort.

"Sit down," Gnarl gestured to an empty chair. "Sleep for now, the others who survived the first round are exhausted as well. Hanson sat down, reclined, and fell asleep faster than a dwarf can drain a puncheon of beer. The record is believed to be about five seconds.


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: sorry about the lack of updates I've been really busy with exams. However, now that summer is on the horizon, anticipate more frequent updates. **

**Chapter IV.5: The Founding of the Anti-Overlord Coalition (AOC)**

**Ruborian Desert/Golden Hills Border**

King William's army came to the rendezvous point agreed to by the Dwarves in record time with the assistance of their desert guide. His job complete, the raider had disappeared into the desert without a word, leaving William's forces staring at a cliff wall, waiting for the dwarves to appear.

"Sire, we haven't the food or water to stay here for long," Sir Tomas said. "We only took light provisions with us, because we assumed we would be able to resupply at the Golden Hills."

"Once again, patience Sir Tomas," William said from where he was sitting. "The dwarves have agreed to be our allies. There is no reason for us to doubt them because all of us, no matter our past relations, have to unite as one against the Overlord's dark reign."

"Too right, William," a voice said from nearby. William leapt to his feet at the sight of the dwarf, no mean feat as the paladin was wearing heavy plate armor.

"Goldo!" he said. "You're alive!"

"Yes, I'm alive, despite the Overlord's numerous attempts to get rid of me," the dwarf king said with a grin. "My forces are already gathered for our march on the Overlord's stronghold." William nodded and waved to his troops. The men quickly packed their equipment and followed their king into the mountain.

After William and Goldo's forces had assembled deep within the mountain they marched through underground passages dug by Goldo's engineers. In only a few hours, the passageways had taken them directly to the border between the Dwarven realm and the forest of Evernight. There, as the army marched and the siege machines squeaked and clanked out of the tunnels, several companies of elven rangers appeared along with their king, Oberon Greenhaze.

"Welcome friends," he said with a bow. "We have come to guide you with great speed through our forest and to assist you in your fight against the Great Evil that dwells in the North."

William got off of his horse and clasped the elf's hand in a firm shake. "Your assistance would be most welcome my friend," he said with a smile.

**The Dark Tower**

Hanson awoke to find himself in his bed in the Dark Tower, his armor neatly stacked in one of the corners. He noticed that it had been skillfully mended and that someone or something had re-sharpened his axe. Hanson put on his armor and noticed a small black mark in the shape of a ball of fire on his left palm. He hastened to put a glove over it so that nobody would notice. Once he did, he heard a snort so loud he wondered if a dragon had decided to take up residence outside his window.

"**There is no need to hide it**," The Voice from the mine said. "**If you will it, your powers will hide themselves even to the righteous paladins, whose Light magic supposedly overcame my own.**"

"Who are you?" Hanson asked.

"**Me? There is no need for you to know me yet… I'm sure we'll speak in person soon."**

With that, Hanson felt a presence withdraw from his mind and felt a strange tingle in his left arm. He looked down and almost yelped. His arm was covered in black flames which were threatening to erupt in an inferno. Remembering what the voice in his mind had said, Hanson focused on his arm and the black flames receded into the black mark, which then receded into his skin. Hanson began to fasten his armor into place, making sure that he wore gloves.

"Ah," Gnarl said as soon as Hanson entered the Throne Room. "Now that we're all here, the second test will begin."

"This task will test your abilities to tax your subjects. Each of you shall be assigned three farmsteads to tax with the goal of generating the maximum amount of gold. Feel free to use any means necessary, but be wary of killing them for dead peasants don't grow crops or pay taxes."

Each candidate stood silently contemplating on how to proceed.

"If you're all ready, then we will go," Gnarl said. The four candidates walked towards the Tower Portal, each deep in thought.

"Red!" Gnarl said. Hanson walked forward and stepped into the portal.

Hanson opened his eyes to find himself in the middle of a lush, green pasture, cheerfully lit by the morning sun with a multitude of sheep grazing all around him. One of the sheep nuzzled up against him, and Hanson promptly set its behind on fire without noticing. The flaming sheep ran back and forth across the pasture and then flung itself into the water of a nearby lake. The splash and the wave of water that followed woke the sleeping shepherd who had been napping beside a tree. Cursing, the boy grabbed his shepherd's hook and began to pull the sheep back onto the bank.

"Stupid animal," Hanson heard him mutter. Hanson strode up to the shepherd and lifted him by the scruff of his tunic until they were at eye level.

"Where is your farm?" Hanson asked.

"Back thataway," the villager gestured frantically.

Hanson let the shepherd drop and began walking in the direction the youth had pointed when the familiar cry of "master!" went up from a score of minions. The fifteen browns and five reds bounded up and down excitedly as they greeted Hanson. The Overlord-to-be scratched a few of them under their chins, causing their tongues to roll out and then raised his left hand. The minions instantly took up position behind him, ready to begin the taxation.


	7. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry for the loooooooooooooong update. I plan on getting back on schedule, but I lost my original manuscript, so I had to rewrite chapter 5 and onwards from scratch. Enjoy. R and R please.

Disclaimer: I don't own Overlord. Only Hanson.

**Chapter V: Taxation without Representation**

Hanson, his small army of minions in tow, strode up the main road of Littlebrook Village, nefarious plans forming in the young man's mind.

The first farm the party came across looked quite wealthy, with several buildings, well-kept fields, and what looked like a fresh coat of paint on everything. Father and sons worked in the fields while the women cooked and cleaned. It was simple, honest work, and Hanson was struck by memories of his life in the cold Northlands, felling trees as a woodcutter. Nostalgia raced through the young man's heart. _No!_ Hanson thought. _I left that life behind. No longer shall I be bound by meaningless attachment._

While Hanson was locked in a mental battle with himself, an elderly woman, probably the mother of the family, stepped out onto the porch and hit a pot with a spoon while shouting "breakfast!" The resulting cacophony was more than enough to rouse Hanson from his thoughts. "Wait here," he told his minions. "I shall summon you soon." The minions settled in the shade of the tree, relaxing, but ready to respond to their master's call.

As the elderly farmer and his sons were making their way towards the main house, Hanson walked to the main gate, armor rattling, and knocked three times, each blow shaking the gate. The old man motioned his sons to continue and shuffled towards the gate. When he reached it, the elderly farmer opened the gate slightly and poked his head out. Hanson's left arm shot out, grabbing the old man by the throat and lifting him into the air.

"Whaddya want?" the farmer chocked out, his feet dangling three feet above the ground. He grasped at Hanson's armored hand, kicking feebly. Sweat pored down his face, staining his tunic. "The Overlord has come for his due." Hanson replied tonelessly. "You have grown rich on His lands, and now the time has come to thank your Lord for His generosity." "We don't owe **Him **anything," the farmer gasped out weakly. "All that we have we got through hard work and dedication," he declared. "**Foolish old man, you owe the Overlord EVERYTHING! **He keeps the brigands suppressed and trouble away from your village. **Now, hand over your gold or I will slaughter your family, burn your farm down and leave you to live out your life in wretched misery!**" Hanson spat, unaware that in the recesses of his helmet his eyes began to glow a malicious and violent red. "I'll do as you say m'lord," the farmer gasped out. The young Overlord released his grip on the man's neck, dropping him unceremoniously to the ground. Far away, Gnarl closed his eyes and chuckled to himself in satisfaction. "You'll do just fine Hanson…"

At the gates of the farm, Hanson summoned his minions and followed the stumbling farmer inside the main house. There, the farmer and his entire family brought out bags of gold while bowing at the same time. Hanson motioned for his minions to pick up the gold, and walked out of the house, laughing to himself. His anger had long since faded, and he found the farmers' display amusingly pathetic. Pausing, the former woodcutter pulled out a map, debating which farmer's day and pants he ought to ruin next.

Gnarl sat near the Tower Portal, gazing into its depths. The time allotted for gold collection was very nearly up, and as he scanned each champion, he found that three of the four had completed their objective. "Champions," the Minion Master announced, "your time is up!" Gnarl made an arcane symbol and pulled all four back to the Tower.

Hanson was felt dizzy and lost from the swift teleportation. It took almost all of his self control to not vomit. He reached out and steadied himself on the wall, noticing that the other champions were in similar positions.

"I have made my decision," the Overlord announced without preamble as he entered the Throne Room. "The Red and Black champions will remain here to decide who is truly worthy of being my heir a week from now in single combat!" As Gnarl escorted the two other champions out, the Overlord sat on his throne and addressed Hanson and the Black champion directly. "You have made it this far, and I applaud you. However, only one can be my heir. A week from now, the two of you will engage in single combat to the death in the dungeon. Feel free to modify your weapons and armor as you wish. That is all." Hanson and the Black champion bowed to the Overlord and retreated, casting apprising looks at one another. Both were of similar height and physical build, and the armor they wore granted a large degree of anonymity. Finally, they nodded their mutual respect to one another and went their separate ways.

Inside of the dwarven tunnels, William looked around in awe at the domed ceilings of the hallway he was in. The Paladin King could not believe that the dwarves had carved out such an extensive realm right under the mountains. "Beautiful, isn't it?" Goldo asked, smiling. "Well beyond all expectations my friend," William replied. As the combined army moved, William noticed that the air became fresher until he emerged into bright sunlight. "Well," Goldo said, tugging at his belt, we've arrived at the outskirts of Evernight. "We are one step closer to our goal then," a voice said. Oberon Greenhaze emerged from the undergrowth with a battalion of elven rangers. "We have come to accompany you on your noble quest," the tall elf said with a sweeping bow. "We would be glad to guide your force through our forest to the Evil One's realm." William nodded in satisfaction. "That would be most welcome, but how soon would we arrive?" "If we continue at your current speed, a week," Oberon replied.

Hanson looked up at the stone ceiling of his chambers and let out a sigh of frustration, dropping his quill onto the table. The desk before him was covered in just about every book he could find on weaponry in the Overlord's library. Sighing again and rubbing his temples, Hanson stood up and paced across the room to the window. The Red minions were at their usual station, chucking fireballs at passing birds, filling the air with the smell of roast chicken. Smiling slightly at the distraction, Hanson noticed something moving out of the corner of his eye. The young overlord whirled around, but saw nothing. Tugging at his three-day beard, Hanson walked over to the desk and noticed that someone or something had placed a book there. He leaned forward and read: Weaponizing Alchemy: A study in the use of explosives. Hanson opened the book and let himself be lost in its knowledge.

Deep in Evernight forest, the army of the anti-Overlord coalition marched on trails that even experienced trackers would have a hard time following. "Oberon," William said. "I can't help but notice that we seem to be taking the long way through the forest towards the Overlord's realm" "That is true," the elf replied. "A great Evil lurks in the darkest part of the forest, an Evil we are currently trying to rid ourselves of." The elf looked pained just mentioning whatever dwelled in the darkness, and William decided to not press the matter.

Deep within Evernight, a company of elven rangers were attempting to root out the Evil that Oberon had spoken of. "Run!" The captain had shouted to Eulaerin, the newest member of their company. "Warn the othe-" was all the captain managed to get out before a shadowy being appeared and speared him through the chest. "**Run back to your ruler, little elf…Tell your pathetic people that their days are numbered," **the Shadow spat. Eulaerin took the Shadow's advice and ran.


	8. Chapter 7

A/N: Ooh! What's this? A fast update? Inconceivable!

Disclaimer: I don't own Overlord, only Hanson

**Chapter VI: The Final Countdown **

Hanson awoke and stood up, stretching. Today was the day of the duel, and the young overlord had used his time, as well as Weaponizing Alchemy, well. As he was putting on his armor, scratched where Giblet had repaired it after his fight with the Blue champion, Hanson could hardly contain his excitement. He sincerely doubted that his opponent would be able to survive his secret weapon, should it come to that.

"Ready Hanson?" the Minion Master asked as the fully armed and armored Hanson descended the marble stairs from his chambers to the Throne Room and turned towards the entrance to the dungeon. Two browns turned a wheel and the reinforced door to the dungeon swung inwards, revealing a spiraling staircase dimly lit by torches. Unearthly screams echoed throughout the passage. "Don't worry; the screams are but memories of better days, when the Overlord tortured rebels and dissidents personally. I do miss those days…" Gnarl sank into memories for a moment, sighed and led the way down the steep staircase. The flickering light revealed what looked like bloodstains on the walls and Hanson wondered how much blood had been spilled there. "A few greens dropped a crate of tomatoes," Gnarl explained. "We use the dungeon more as a warehouse that a prison nowadays." Hanson nodded his understanding and followed.

A short time later, the duo reached their destination: the dungeon floor. Built in the style of a traditional gladiatorial arena, the dungeon had a sand floor, high walls with seating and an observation box. The underground chamber was lit by a series of torches, and the light reflected off of the onyx walls.

Hanson spotted his opponent standing in the middle of the arena, longsword in hand. "Now that both of the champions are here," the Overlord said from behind Hanson. Hanson and his opponent turned, spotting the Overlord standing in the observation box. "Let the duel begin!"

Hanson flexed his arms, the steel armor clanging and pulled out his axe out of its sheath that lay across his back. Hanson had redesigned his axe, creating a double-headed monstrosity with a steel shaft and a spike at the top, and from the way his opponent had stilled, Hanson knew that the axe had made quite the impression. Shifting his weight into a more balanced stance, Hanson moved towards his opponent who began to circle. Hanson knew that one, maybe two good hits were more than enough to finish his opponent, and in Hanson's arms the axe moved at the speed of weapon half its size and weight.

Realizing that defense was useless, the Black champion charged forward, his longsword gripped in both hands. Again, Hanson's weeklong study of weapon and armor paid off. Hanson knew that the only place the sword would do any real damage were his arms, where he'd been forced to remove much of the armor to increase his mobility. Thus, Hanson could ignore any strikes to his center of mass and protect his arms. The Black champion came at Hanson with an ineffectual flurry of blows that pinged off Hanson's armor, not doing any real damage. In response, Hanson swung his axe. The axe wasn't traveling fast enough to cause a disabling or mortal blow, but the impact of a seventy-five pound war axe was enough to stop Hanson's opponent in his tracks and cause him to double over as the axe slammed into the Black champion's midsection. Seeing an opportunity, Hanson stepped back and swung with a full force, two-handed swing. His opponent's sword came in a pathetic attempt to block, but could not halt the axe. The axe slammed into the Black champion's chest plate, bending it inwards with a tortured groan. Hanson heard a sharp gasp of pain and the sound of breaking ribs.

Hanson's opponent rolled and lay still in the sands facedown, the sands turning red below him. Hanson exhaled and raised his axe in triumph as a quartet of browns grabbed the corpse of the Black champion and carried it off.

Hanson marched towards the observation box, Gnarl waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. "Master," the aged Minion Master said with an evil grin and a bow. "Welcome home." Hanson nodded and ascended the stairs towards his destiny.

The Overlord was waiting, helmet off, a glass of Drunk Sam's famous brandy in hand. Hanson paused at the sight of the elderly man, expecting someone far more impressive. "Hello Hanson," the old man said as he turned to face the young man. "Not very impressive am I?" Despite his age, the power coming off of the man was still palpable, and Hanson felt dizzy at its magnitude. "I suppose I should call you son now," the old man said with a small smile. "Though I sincerely doubt that I will be around much longer, owing much to the fact that there is an army camped out in front of my Tower." Hanson looked at the Overlord in mute shock. "An army? Why?" he finally said. "The paladin king William has allied himself with the elves and dwarves, and has come to bring his own brand of justice to my domain. The Overlord took another sip of the brandy and stood up, putting his helmet on. "I no longer have the strength to defeat him, and I fear the tower will be destroyed… I guess there really is no escaping the cycle." As he led the way out of the dungeon the Overlord continued, "Gnarl and I have known about their little 'invasion' for some time and have made the necessary preparations. You will escape with the brown minions and their hive, guided by Gnarl. He will teach you in my absence and help you become the Overlord." "But…" Hanson said. "Don't we need books to learn from?" The Overlord chuckled slightly. "Gnarl is immortal…he has outlived every Overlord that has ever existed, and he shall outlive you and I as well." The Overlord and Hanson continued up the stairs in silence until they reached the Throne Room. "Everything you need to know, Gnarl remembers, and will teach you. Learn well, for the continuation of the Overlord legacy rests with you now." Hanson nodded his understanding, but still had questions. "Where shall I go?" he asked. "Gnarl will take you to an ancient sanctuary, where, rumor has it there is more Evil energy than here. There, you will learn and in time, wreak your revenge upon those who destroyed your reign before it had a chance to begin. You will re-establish a Dark Domain and crush all in your way. Goodbye." The two Overlords, young and old shook hands and the Old Overlord stepped into the Tower Portal. "One more thing," the Old Overlord said. "I have no doubt that Gnarl will say this many times, but I can't resist saying it myself." He said with a slight chuckle. "Whenever you feel discouraged, or think that you have finally found an opponent you can't defeat through brains or brawn, remember this: Evil will always find a way." With another chuckle, the Overlord teleported outside.

Hanson stared at the Tower Portal's waters for a bit longer until the sound of shuffling reached his ears. "Sire," Gnarl said. "The time has come. The dwarves, in their infinite intelligence, have decided to dig a tunnel for their forces to invade our home. I predict they will end up in the Spawning Pit, and it would be in our best interest to escape through the exit they have conveniently provided. Follow me." Hanson nodded again and followed the Minion Master down to the Spawning Pit.

A/N: Next chapter, the war begins and Hanson escapes. Stay tuned folks. R and R please.

Also, it has come to my attention that chapter 3 has gone missing. I don't know what's up, but I will fix it.


	9. Chapter 9

(A/N): My goal is to try and update either every other day or every day, depending on time and the possibility of writer's block. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Overlord, only Hanson.

**Chapter VII: The End and the Beginning**

William and eight other paladins knelt in a circle, chanting prayers to the Light in hopes that the gods would empower their troops. The bright sun glinted off of the armor and weapons of the combined army of the Anti-Overlord Coalition and reflected the light emitted by the globe of the Light that had been summoned by the paladins to ward off the Overlord's Evil powers.

"We shall attack from below with our tunnelers," said Goldo, poking the map of the countryside with his finger. "Then Oberon and I shall attack the front gate and destroy this Evil once and for all!" Willam declared, clenching his mailed fist on the hilt of the sword he wore at his side. The three leaders nodded to one another and left to prepare their respective armies.

Hanson followed Gnarl down the winding stairs to the Spawning Pit, the walls growing older and moister as they descended. A pungent smell hit Hanson, but he hardly noticed as he focused on a silvery globe that hang suspended in the middle of the Spawning Pit, surrounded by orbiting rocks. "Sire, allow me to show you the source of the Overlord's great power," Gnarl said. "The Tower Heart."

Twenty browns appeared out of an alcove, taking position behind Hanson. A further twelve emerged, carrying what looked like a hut. "The brown minion hive sire," Gnarl explained as the minion carried the hive over to the column of minions and took position behind them. "When we arrive, you will be able to harvest lifeforce and create more browns. I will explain later."

Hanson nodded and turned to the minions when the wall shuddered from impact. "Ah, it seems our uninvited guests have arrived. I advise stealth until we see what we're dealing with." Gnarl said. Hason directed the minions into an alcove and hid behind a rock, waiting.

The wall shook again and a massive drill emerged, scattering rock in every direction. The dwarves that steered the contraption turned off the drill and dismounted, gazing greedily at the Tower Heart. When they had waddled past his hiding spot, Hanson leaped out killed both with two strokes from his massive axe. "Excellent Master," Gnarl said as he shuffled towards the mining machine. "I advise that we use this machine to our advantage. See if you can't turn it with your minions and then use it to erm…remove any dwarves from the tunnel."

Hanson gestured to the minions and climbed behind the wheel of the miner, looking for some sort of switch that would activate the drill.

The minions strained against the miner, slowly turning it until it was facing the way it had come. Hanson finally found the ignition, and after a few splutters, the engine roared to life and as Hanson manipulated the control stick, began to roll into the dank and unlit tunnel, picking up speed. Hanson pressed some more switches at random, almost as if he was guided by an invisible entity, and the drill began to rotate, adding to the cacophony of the miner's engine.

The miner rounded a corner, and suddenly Hanson was in the middle of a lit earthen chamber, the dwarves' staging point for their tunnel invasion. Most of the dwarves sat at tables, drinking beer out of kegs. The dwarves stared at Hanson in shock, beer still dripping from their beards as the young Overlord's miner rammed into the nearest table, turning it into splinters. Dwarves went flying, some speared by the splinters, others relatively unharmed.

Again guided by the invisible presence, Hanson was able to find the flamethrower activation switch, making dealing with the dwarves much more efficient. By the time Gnarl and the browns had caught up, the dwarf staging ground and their camp at the entrance to the tunnel was blazing merrily, dwarven explosives going off at intervals as the gunpowder caught fire inside the barrels in which it was stored.

"Well done sire!" Gnarl congratulated. "Our path to the sanctuary is clear." Hanson dismounted the miner and followed Gnarl away from the Tower, resisting the urge to look back.

The Overlord stood in front of the gates to the Dark Tower, staring down the entire coalition army. After ordering his remaining minion tribes, red, green, and blue, to escape, he had focused on helping Hanson. Now, his part was over. Hanson had escaped the clutches of his enemy, and was free to plot revenge. However, the man that was once known as Averin did not plan to fade into history without punishing those that had come to dethrone him, just as he had finally found an heir.

"You had more with you last time William," Averin shouted, his voice carrying through magical means. "We are united in our cause to root out your Evil!" William shouted back and charged, the entire coalition army charging with him. Averin smiled humorlessly, shaking his head. _This didn't work last time, and won't work now. Did you really think I hadn't noticed that pathetic shield you placed? _

The Overlord reached deep within himself, drawing on his dark powers more deeply than ever before. In his mind, Averin felt that he owed his son at least one thing: an opportunity to destroy William from the inside out. Sweat streamed down Averin's forehead as the sun dimmed and shadows lengthened, dimming even the light of the paladins. Then, time stopped.

Averin relaxed slightly and grimaced in pain as the exertion of drawing on such power took its toll. The Overlord was glad that he had succeeded, and let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. Out of the deepest shadows, a dark being rose. "**What is your bidding Overlord?**" it said with a bow. "Make them pay for their foolishness, but leave William and Oberon alive," Averin said, gesturing at the army that was frozen in time. "**And in return?**" the shadow inquired. "Take me." The shadow bowed once more and Averin felt a sensation similar to sinking into quicksand. He knew that underneath his feet a portal to the Infernal Abyss had opened and that he was slowly sinking, but Averin didn't care. He had secured his son's future with this final scheme.

When time returned to its normal course, Averin the Overlord had vanished, but a being made of shadow stood in his place. For the second time in his life, William's resolve shattered, and his faith in the Light waned, the Shadow's will defeating William's. The Paladin sank to his knees, his Sword of Light dropping from his grasp. Without William's will, the shield protecting the army vanished and the Shadow leapt forward, feasting on the despair of the soldiers in front of it, growing rapidly in size until it was five times the height of a man. Swords appeared in its clawed arms, and it began to hack and slash at the coalition army. Nothing the paladins tried worked; their spells were simply not strong enough to destroy the embodiment of Evil itself without William.

(A/N): Well, the old Overlord is gone, and William's army is getting slaughtered. Tune in next time. Review please, it gives me motivation.


	10. Chapter 10

(A/N): Enjoy and thanks for staying with me thus far.

Disclaimer: I do not own Overlord, only Hanson.

**Chapter VIII: Endgame**

William awoke on a field stained red by the blood of thousands of corpses. The entire coalition army had been destroyed, and it was his entire fault. William resisted the urge too weep as he gazed around himself, looking at the slain. _They were all so brave, and so young. Now, none of them will ever return home._ William removed his helmet and bowed in reverence. _May the Light guide you to eternal peace_, he prayed silently. The paladin walked slowly towards the spot on the field where the Overlord had vanished and the Shadow appeared. The Overlord's sword was stuck in the ground, its black blade absorbing light. Its runes, however, were dull and barely glowed. William took this as a good sign. The paladin king gripped the sword handle, glad that he wore gloves. The Evil taint was palpable on the sword. William placed the sword in a bolt of cloth, rolling it up and tying it up. _Here's hoping you never take a life again_, he thought.

As William made his way towards the Dark Tower, he knew that the emotional and mental scars he received would haunt him forever. William gazed up at the Dark Tower, the onyx outer covering reflecting the weak light. As he stared up at the imposing structure, William thought he heard someone calling his name.

The paladin turned and saw Goldo and Oberon limping towards him, their armor as bloodstained as his own. "Are we the only survivors?" Goldo asked. "It seems so," William said. "Let us leave this Evil place," Oberon said. "I can't stand the sight of so many good men dead." "Go on," William said. "I shall stay until all who perished here get a proper burial." Goldo nodded and said "I shall return with a complement of dwarves so we can fashion a monument to all that perished here, for the ages to remember their sacrifice." "I shall return as well. I plan to plant a grove of trees, in hopes that their affinity for the light shall drive the Evil residue away from this place," Oberon said. William nodded to his allies and shook hands with them. "Thank you for your help my friends. I shall never forget the sacrifices you have made along with me. If ever you find yourselves in need of my assistance, do not hesitate to ask." With that, the three heroes parted ways. William went to the village Spree to announce their liberation and to recruit villagers to help him bury the dead. Goldo traveled back to the Golden hills, planning on bringing back the finest craftsmen to build the monument in memory of those who had perished. Oberon wandered back to Evernight, looking for saplings of the Light tree and carrying them back to the Dark Tower valley.

"The Old Overlord is gone sire," Gnarl said with finality during one of the rest stops on the way to the sanctuary. "Now you are the true Overlord." Gnarl reached into a sack he had carried the entire journey and pulled out a gauntlet similar in design to Hanson's. Hanson quickly saw the difference between his gauntlet and the new one: a jewel imbedded in the forearm plate. "During the trials, the minions followed your commands because they were ordered to do so by the Overlord, right now, they are following me as much as you," Gnarl said. "With this gauntlet, they truly obey your commands!" Hanson took off his gauntlet and slipped on the new one, feeling its weight and fit. When he made a fist, the jewel ignited and began to burn with a crimson flame. "The Netherworld accepts you as its master," Gnarl said. "Now, your legend begins!"

**End of Son of the Overlord**

(A/N): Before you start ranting and raving at me, allow me to explain. Son of the Overlord was just part one of this fic. I project at least two more parts in the future. I have included the intro chapter of the next part in this update. Enjoy.

**Part II: Overlord**

**Introduction: Five years later**

The man once known as Hanson Strongarm stood in the middle of a stone chamber, not shivering from the cold as five browns dressed him in his steel Overlord armor. The torchlight glinted of the steel, reflecting off of the various angles. The minion finished fastening the straps and placed the Overlord's helmet over his head. Nearby, Gnarl wiped an imaginary tear from his eye and clasped his hands together in excitement. "It has been fifty five years since I said this, and I was beginning to worry I never would again," Gnarl said, more to himself that anyone else. As the minions finished arming and armoring Hanson, Gnarl proclaimed "Master, let us go forth. There are nefarious deeds to be done!"

William tossed and turned in his bed muttering "no…no,"under his breath. In his mind, the paladin fought the mental battle with the Shadow over and over again replaying the event over and over. He could feel the indomitable will of the dark being crushing his own, and he could see the army of brave men, elves, and dwarves get slaughtered over and over again, right before his eyes. The king sat up in his bed, his forehead covered in a sheen of sweat. The early morning sun peeked through the curtains to the king's chamber, casting a thin ray of light into the sparsely furnished room. Since the death of his wife at the site of his first battle with the Overlord, William had gotten rid of many of the lavish comforts in favor of a simple, more militaristic style. The only furnishings in the room were a simple bed, a wooden desk with a chair, and a squashy leather sofa for visitors.

William swung his legs off of the bed and walked over to a steel basin. The paladin reached in and splashed water on his face, wiping away the sweat. The king's bare feet slapped the stone floor as William made his way towards his inner chamber, the Sanctum of the Light. As he knelt in the middle of the sanctum, the sun rose a sufficient distance to shine through the tall windows, illuminating the crystal statues of paladins past. William prayed fervently, begging the Light for assistance. His daily prayer complete, the paladin selected a simple white tunic and pants, both embroidered with the symbol of the paladin order in golden thread. As he pulled on leather boots, William contemplated the event that had the entire buzzing with excitement. Half a year ago, William had consented to allow suitors into his city to court his daughter when she turned twenty. For weeks suitors would flood in, bringing gifts and diplomatic offers, as well as revenue to the city merchants. The suitors would spend their time feasting, hunting, and killing one another in an attempt to gain Princess Elizabeth's favor.

William sighed as he ran his hand through hi salt-and-pepper hair. While he disapproved of the suitors, he would let his daughter have her moment.

Her Royal Highness the Princess Elizabeth was being fussed over by a quartet of handmaids who had bathed and dressed her, and were now fussing over her hair, almost fighting about the style it should be in. "The mistress should be at the height of fashion, so an elven braid should do it," one said. "No! Do a Chester knot!" another shouted. "Just leave it alone," Elizabeth told them. "It doesn't make much of a difference anyway." The handmaids bowed and backed away respectfully, allowing the princess to see herself in the mirror. Elizabeth was clothed in a white gown with a gold trim similar to her father's. her hair flowing down her back. Satisfied, the princess swept out of her chamber and down a flight of stairs, paintings of former kings glowered down at her as always, but she ignored them. Today was her day.

She joined her father for breakfast, sitting next to him, hardly able to hide her excitement. The servants placed eggs and bacon in front of William and his daughter, with hot tea to wash it down.

Muttering his thanks, William attacked his meal, while Elizabeth did the same. _Today would be an eventful day indeed_, father and daughter thought.

(A/N): Well, there you go. Sincerest apologies for not having a "Hanson beating someone to a pulp" scene, but this is only the first chapter of part 2, so there's hope yet. Review please, either to tell me that you like it, or to provide constructive criticism. I will try to respond to everyone. See you next time.


	11. Chapter 11

(A/N): Yes, it's another fluffy chapter. I honestly enjoy writing these more than the incredibly violent ones. These make me laugh more. Is there violence? Yeah. Enjoy, and please review.

Disclaimer: I own the characters I create, not the Overlord franchise.

**Chapter XI: Suitors & Looters**

By midday the suitor swarm had arrived, dressed in richly woven clothes and accompanied by entourages of guards and servants, carrying the flags of their house. Personally, William would have rather locked all of them up instead of letting them near his daughter. Many of the lordlings and princes had reputations as womanizers, and William knew that the suitors would not hesitate to use all their "skill" to gain the princess's favor.

That was the primary reason that the suitors' guest rooms were in a separate wing from Elizabeth's chambers, the secondary being that William wanted to keep an eye on his daughter. The only two people with a key to the princess's chambers were William and the captain of the guard, Falwric. He was a loyal paladin who could not be bought and his devotion to the Light protected him from the evils of common men. Many a suitor would probably try to scale the princess's tower from the outside, hoping to enter through the window. William had fixed that problem by paying architects to smooth the outside of the tower, removing all handholds. In short, William wanted to reduce the nighttime visits from suitors as much as possible.

The first five suitors admitted to the Throne Room were from various royal families and had an air of superiority about them that neither William nor Elizabeth liked. After a brief demonstration of how great they were, the suitors were removed.

The next five contained a handsome dark-haired man who looked to be around twenty-five. He wore simple clothing with no heraldry and had the look of a traveler about him. Nevertheless, there was a palpable strength about him that piqued Elizabeth's interest.

As a gift, he had brought a finely wrought necklace of lightgems, rare gems that changed colors according to the lighting. William quickly became interested in the simply dressed stranger, because the lightjems on the necklace were worth enough gold to buy the entire Capital City.

"What is your name stranger?" William asked. "You bear no heraldry, and yet your gift is by far the most lavish of all the others I've seen so far." "My name is Ryrin, and I am a wandering knight in search of a liege-lord," Ryrin said with a bow. "I have traveled far to find the mighty king that triumphed over the Overlord five years ago. It seems that at last, I have found him." William nodded, the traveler's intentions becoming clear. "It is your wish to enter my service, correct?" "Yes my lord," Ryrin said. "I have my own weapons and armor, as well as my own small band of warriors loyal to me. If I swear allegiance to you, my axe is yours." "I shall gladly accept it, sir Ryrin," William said. "Come to my table next morning to receive your first assignment. There are some troubles with looters near the village Spree that need to be taken care of." Ryrin bowed once more and winked to the princess, who blushed slightly, and left the Throne Room.

Once he exited the Throne Room, Ryrin's smile faded, and the Overlord's personality came flooding back. Holding his dark power under wraps from the paladin had been the first test, one Hanson had passed with flying colors. Now, Gnarl's plan was in motion, and the destruction of William and his paladins would begin in earnest.

Next morning, Hanson marched up the stairs to William's dining room if full armor, making sure that his eyes weren't glowing underneath the helmet and that the dark power he radiated was suppressed. "Good morning sire," Hanson said, inclining his armored head in respect while sneering inside the darkness of his helmet. "Welcome Ryrin. Please, join us." Hanson removed his helmet and brushed through his dark hair with an armored hand absently. He sat down, the servants brought him breakfast: freshly baked bread with honey and hot tea. Hanson had just taken a bite of the bread when he heard someone almost flying down the stairs. "Sorry I'm late father," Princess Elizabeth said. "The handmaidens took longer than usu-" she cut off in midsentence when she noticed who was sitting at her father's table, casually munching bread. Her hands clenched slightly and she slowed to an elegant walk, trying to make the best impression. She sat down at the table and casually said "I welcome you to our table, sir Ryrin." Hanson almost snorted with laughter, but remembered his manners. He chewed and swallowed before he spoke; the way Gnarl had taught him during the five years he had been under the Minion Master's tutelage. "Good morning your highness, I am glad to see you," the Overlord said with a smile that never quite reached his eyes. The princess never noticed, as she was to busy staring at Hanson's well-muscled arms where they could be seen in the gaps between his plate. William rolled his eyes at his daughter and spoke to Hanson. "Your first assignment in my service is to go to the village Spree and to protect the populace from the looters that roam the area. Once you accomplish this, you will become the lord of Castle Spree and act as my arm in that area." "I have heard much about the former Dark Tower," Hanson said carefully. "Would it be possible for me to take up residence there? What better way to proclaim the victory of Light over Dark than having a servant of the paladin who defeated the Overlord keep the king's peace from the Dark Tower?" William considered for a moment, and then nodded. "Done." Hanson stood up, his breakfast finished, bowed to William and his daughter and left, his booted feet ringing on the marble floor.

"What do you think of him?" William asked his daughter casually, pretending not to notice his daughter's obvious infatuation with the man. "I think he will do well as a knight in your service, he seems extremely noble…and handsome," the princess added, a faint tinge of color rising up her cheeks.

As soon as he was outside the castle gate, Hanson finally allowed himself to a chuckle that quickly escalated to full blown laughter. Not only had he succeeded in securing the capital of his Dark Domain, the Dark Tower, but he had charmed the king's daughter into adoration. Things were becoming easier. "Well done sire," Gnarl's voice echoed through the steel helmet Hanson wore. "You are well on your way to re-establishing your Dark Domain."

Hanson was met by Gnarl along with the browns. "Good news sire," Gnarl began. "I was able to reactivate the portal at the sanctuary, which should speed things up a bit." Hanson nodded in satisfaction, the thought of walking all the way to Spree did not appeal to him.

Within the sanctuary, some browns were busy packing supplies and moving them to a glowing circle in the middle of the entrance chamber. "I'm glad that even in its ruined state the Tower still remembers this waypoint gate, "Gnarl said. "Step on it sire, and it will take you home." Hanson hesitated for an instant, gazing at the eerie blue light the gate was giving off, and then he stepped directly onto the center.

While the Overlord was familiar with the sensation of teleportation, he was worried. For all he knew, Gnarl might have "forgotten" that the gate was unstable and Hanson would arrive at the Dark Tower in chunks. When the sensation ended with a flash of white light, Hanson was standing next to the Tower Portal, in the completely devastated Throne Room of the Dark Tower. As the Overlord looked around, he suppressed the urge to scream in rage. The Tower had clearly been looted and destroyed. The elegant pillars that lined the Throne Room were scattered across the floor in pieces. The floor had cracks in it and plants were growing from within. The throne itself had been dismantled the hard way, all jewels and valuables stolen. "Not the most impressive bastion of Evil, I know," Gnarl said from his position by Hanson's elbow. "While we can rebuild, our first priority is to locate and retrieve the Tower Heart. Something tells me that those looters William spoke of would know where it is." The Overlord knew that without the Tower Heart powered the Tower Portal, and without it, he would have to walk everywhere. "Luckily," Gnarl said deviously, "there seems to be enough energy to teleport you to the closest gate to where the Tower last felt the Heart. The Tower remembers, you see." Hanson was relieved that even the Tower itself seemed to be helping him in his quest. "Let's go then."

After another flash of light, Hanson was standing in the ruins of a small tower, a tower gate glowing sluggishly beneath his feet. "You made it sire," Gnarl said. "I was beginning to worry." "Now, it is time to summon minions from the minion gates, as I taught you sire." The Overlord raised his left hand and focused on the brown minion gate, from which fifteen browns, armed with wooden clubs and dressed only in loincloths emerged.

"Excellent sire, now, let us continue to Spree." "Aren't you worried the villagers will recognize you?" Hanson asked. "With the type of intelligence they possess, I would be surprised if they remembered what happened yesterday," the Minion Master replied.

Satisfied, the Overlord started up the dirt road to Spree, kicking up a small dust cloud. As the small army came arrived at the front gates, it was obvious something was wrong. Besides the lack of sentries and the wide open gates, several of the huts closest of the gates were on fire. Several villagers ran towards Hanson screaming "help us." The Overlord grabbed one by the collar of his tunic and lifted him up. "What is going on?" "The looters! They-they're here!" Hanson let go of the peasant and began running towards the sound of screaming.

The village was in chaos, peasants running to the lake in the middle of the village and back, trying to douse the fires. "Which way did the looters go?" the Overlord asked. "Towards their hideout in the woods, east of here," someone replied.

Hanson left through the east gate and charged up the road towards the forest. "Judging from these tracks, the looters would probably have their hideout in the clearing closest to Spree," Gnarl said as he caught up to Hanson. "Follow me sire, we'll surprise them."

Hanson was approaching the looters' hideout when he heard a feminine scream. "It seems that there is a damsel in distress in the vicinity," Gnarl said with a small chuckle. "Better go rescue her before something unpleasant happens."

As the Overlord crashed through the undergrowth with his minions, he immediately spotted a young red-haired woman, dressed as an adventurer, surrounded by about twenty looters who were jeering at her. Assuming that he had found the source of the screams, Hanson charged forward, drawing his massive axe in a smooth motion as his minions uttered war cries. The first looter never quite figured out what happened to him as the Overlord's battle axe separated his head from his shoulders. The next received an uppercut to the jaw from Hanson's armored fist that ended his life instantly. While the looters gaped, the minions reached them, and the slaughter began in earnest. The Overlord swung his massive axe, removing limbs left and right while the browns killed all those that Hanson left. The battle was over in a few minutes and not a single looter had survived. While the minions picked up the looters' weapon to replace their wooden clubs, the Overlord scanned for the woman he had come to rescue. His search ended when he felt a dagger at his throat. "While I do appreciate the help, I can't have you claiming the looters' treasures for yourself," a feminine voice said from behind him. Hanson allowed himself a small smile and sidestepped faster than any human possibly could. By the time the red-haired woman realized she was threatening empty air, the Overlord had cuffed her on the back of the head. She dropped like a log, kicking up a little dust. Hanson ordered two minions to tie up and carry her. "Well done sire," Gnarl complimented. Our way to the looter's treasure is clear."

As the Overlord entered the looters' treasure chamber, an earthy construction that downplayed the riches within, Hanson's eyes were drawn to the massive globe that rested on top of a pile of gold and jewels. The Tower Heart seemed to wink at the Overlord as the power within it flowed back and forth. Hanson ordered five minions to pick up the Heart and began to walk towards the Spree tower gate, the minions carrying the Tower Heart straining slightly. The ones carrying the woman walked right behind the Overlord, and Hanson couldn't resist glancing at her…shapely form a few times over his shoulder. Gnarl chuckled as he noticed his master glancing at the woman who tried to kill him. _Why is it always the ones that try to kill us that we end up loving the most? _The Minion Master wondered.

(A/N): Phew, that was a long one. The reason for its length is my desire to introduce the second potential mistress. I hope you enjoyed. Review if you liked it, and provide constructive criticism where necessary. ~RussianOverlord~


	12. Chapter 12

(A/N): This chapter is mostly here to develop Assira's character. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I own the characters I create, not the Overlord series.

**Chapter XII: Love at first faceplant**

With a flash of light the Overlord re-appeared next to the Tower Portal in time to see the Tower Heart descend into the pool of water that was the Tower Portal. The water began to shimmer with a cool blue light and a feeling of power flowed thought Hanson. He felt all his aches disappear, and the Overlord felt better than he ever had before.

"Now that the Tower is reactivated, a crane would be extremely handy," Gnarl suggested as he reappeared. "Then, the minions could restore the Tower to its former glory." "Agreed," Hanson said. "The villagers should have a crane that they would be glad to part with in payment for their continued safety."

"Excellent plan sire, but we should also recover the looters' hoard. Who knows how much wealth is in there, possibly even more Tower objects."

The Overlord stepped into the Tower Portal and drew on the nearly infinite energies of the Tower Heart to propel himself to the Spree tower gate. Once there, he called fifteen browns to him and sent them to the looters' camp to recover all the treasure the looters had amassed.

Hanson entered Spree to cheers of joy and admiration. "Here comes our savior!" someone shouted. The Overlord did what Gnarl had trained him to do; he got onto a table, took off his helmet, and waved to the adoring crowd.

"My name is sir Ryrin," he began. "I was sent here by the paladin king William to root out the Evil in this land." The crowd cheered some more, but Hanson held up a hand. "I find myself in need of a crane to repair the Tower in which I have decided to reside. Does anyone know where I can find one?" "We have a crane near the north gate!" A villager called out. "You're welcome to it m'lord!"

The Overlord nodded and got off the table, replacing his helmet as he went towards the north gate. By the time he got there, the browns had finished ferrying the looters' treasures, and had returned. With a casual flick of his left arm, Hanson ordered the browns to pick up the crane.

Assira woke up in a cold, damp, and dark stone cell with a splitting headache. The only light in the dungeon seeped through the cracks in the walls, providing barely enough light to see by. She could remember threatening the knight that had come to her rescue, but after that, nothing. Assira rubbed the back of her head and became aware of a strange creature that was watching her from the other side of the cell bars. The creature was dressed in a raggedy robe and had a lantern attached to its back with a stick.

"It is good to see you awake," the creature said. "I am Gnarl, minion master and devoted servant of Darkness. And you are…?" "Assira," she answered. "Do you plan on letting me out of here anytime soon?" "That," Gnarl answered, "is for the Overlord to decide."

The minion master reached through the cell bars and placed a wooden bowl of soup, a spoon, and a clay cup filled with a brownish liquid of unidentifiable origin.

"We didn't have time to relight the torches, so eat fast unless you plan on fighting off rats." With that, Gnarl produced Assira's dagger and tossed it to her and left, shuffling up the stairs.

Assira quickly began to eat, shoveling the soup in her mouth and guzzling whatever was in the cup. Curiously, she began to feel better: her headache was gone and she felt completely rejuvenated, ready to take on the world.

Assira felt for the secret pockets she had scattered across her leather armor, smiling as she realized that she had not been searched. No doubt that knight had been too ashamed to actually touch her. Once again, her figure had saved her. Assira reached into the pockets and pulled out several lockpicks, quickly picking the rusty lock. She stealthily made her way out of the cell, closing the door behind her. Assira crept up the stairs until she reached a half-rotten wooden door. With a gentle push, the door opened and she was free. She dashed forward, her fiery hair billowing behind her, until her progress stopped when she ran into something solid, unyielding, and metallic.

Hanson emerged from the Tower Portal satisfied. He had acquired a crane for the reconstruction, and now, all he had to do was recover the other three minion tribes: red, green, and blue. The Overlord's thoughts were interrupted when someone ran right into him, uttering a low gasp as they made contact. He looked down and was unsurprised to see the woman he had "rescued" yesterday.

Assira looked up dazedly, and saw the knight that had had rescued her, whom she had consequently threatened. Assira tried to pull away, but upon looking down realized that she had her arms wrapped around the stranger's waist. She flushed slightly, and let go, sinking to the floor.

"I see that you've met Assira sire," Gnarl said from the nearest set of stairs leading up. "Indeed I have," Hanson said. He reached down and lifted the young woman with ease, carrying her bridal style to the nearest intact column. The Overlord set Assira down and turned to Gnarl, taking his helmet off and observing the beginnings of the reconstruction critically. "It's a little threadbare sire, but progress is being made." Hanson looked at the wooden scaffolding that was holding up the columns and decided to take Gnarl at his word.

"We've successfully re-opened the private quarters sire, and with it, the library. The texts that survived five years in open weather should be on the bookshelves or scattered on the floor."

Hanson lifted the barely conscious Assira and carried her upstairs. Gnarl suppressed the urge to follow and busied himself with directing the repairs.

Hanson placed Assira onto his bed and wandered over to the library, looking at the countless books, thinking about his next move. A few minutes later, Gnarl burst in, moving faster than the Overlord had ever seen. "Sire!" he said breathlessly. "I've found the red minions!"

(A/N): Well, I hope you enjoyed the bits of fluff artistically placed throughout the chapter.

Tune in tomorrow for a chapter that has _absolutely_ nothing to do with the recovery of the red minion tribe (sarcasm).

Please review, even anonymously. It motivates me greatly and constructive criticism helps me improve my writing style.

~RussianOverlord~


	13. Chapter 13

(A/N): Well, this is quite the record! Two chapters in one day and one of them the longest one I've ever written. Enjoy the ride, ladies and gentlemen.

Disclaimer: I own the characters I create, not the Overlord series.

**Chapter XIII: Reds and mops**

Assira awoke when a ray of sunlight slid across her face, causing her to wrinkle her nose and open her eyes, yawning. The first thing she noticed was that someone in armor was standing right over her. She rolled over, relieved that she was still fully clothed.

Hanson looked down at Assira, a small smile playing on his lips. "Get up," he said in his most commanding voice. She rose, stretching like a cat. "It seems that you are quite resourceful and a little too free-spirited for your own good. Thus, in punishment for your attempted escape yesterday, you will dust what's left of the Throne Room. Gnarl can't direct the construction if he's sneezing more than he's talking."

Assira looked up at the Overlord in shock, his armored figure betraying no emotion. "You can't expect me to dust the entire Throne Room _by myself_, can you?" she asked incredulously. "I do," was the emotionless reply. "Gnarl will give you a mop and bucket, and you are to work until I return." With that, Hanson turned and walked out of the room, his steel armor clanging with every step.

"Sire, I have located the red minions at the old armory a few miles south of Spree. I do not know who or what holds them there, but they undoubtedly sense your presence." "Good. I can only hope that this enemy puts up more of a fight than the looters" With that, Hanson stepped into the Tower Portal and teleported to Spree.

Assira descended the stairs glumly, looking for the aged minion master. "Ah, young lady," she heard his voice from somewhere behind her. Gnarl was standing on one of the scaffoldings, directing the browns in repairs. "Mouldy, bring Assira a mop and bucket." "When's breakfast?" Assira asked as the brown ran off. "Whenever you finish mopping the floors," the minion master answered. "But, the floors are full of-" Assira cut off as she noticed that the floors had completely fixed and the rubble removed. The pristine marble floors seemed to be winking at her as she groaned, took the proffered mop and bucket and began to mop the floor. Gnarl allowed himself a small grin as he turned back to the minions repairing the ceiling. "Higher you idiots! Up…UP!"

Hanson marched down the road leading south from Spree with fifteen browns, ready to unleash death and destruction on anything in his path. Within a few hours, Hanson reached the old armory, a derelict building that had been abandoned since the death of the Old Overlord. If Gnarl was to be believed, the red minions were somewhere inside.

As the Overlord reached the entrance of the old armory, Assira had finally finished mopping the floor of the newly-rebuilt throne room. In reality, Assira was in awe. The minions had completely fixed the ceiling and the columns that lined the side of the Throne Room in the time that she had taken to mop the floor. "I'm done," she said, putting the mop into the bucket. "The kitchen is down the stairs closest to your left," Gnarl replied, waving her away. Assira stumbled down the well-lit white marble steps, her legs sore and tired from hours of work, until she found herself in a well stocked larder.

Hanson kicked down the door to the old armory, drawing his axe at the same time. Behind him, the browns fanned out, weapons ready. As his eyes adjusted to the torchlight, Hanson noticed what looked like a hand cranked conveyor belt with several shining jewels lying on it. All around it, crates were stacked high, some even brushing the ceiling. Hanson assumed that those were all filled with jewels. While he normally would have searched every crate, the red minions were worth many times their weight in valuables.

The Overlord heard voices further down the hallway and decided to investigate, stepping softly, instead of announcing his presence. "Those red devils we found make the process of pressing fake jewels so much faster," one of the figures said. "Will we be ready to ship tonight?" the second figure asked.

Nobody ever heard the answer, because that was when Hanson chose to leap around the corner and end the lives of both conspirators. "That first one was talking about 'red devils,'" Gnarl's voice rang in Hanson's ear. "I assume that they would be the ones that heat the forges enough to produce the mixture from which these miscreants manufacture their fake jewels."

Hanson continued down the hallway, looking for the door that would lead him to the forges. Once he found it, he entered a long and winding hallway, full of coal dust and bars of metal. The air steadily grew hotter as the Overlord continued down the hallway until he found the door that read "Press Room."

Hanson knew that there would most likely be anywhere from ten to a hundred workers in there, so he decided that speed, tactics, and stealth would help him more than brawn. As the Overlord crept forward, he realized that he shouldn't have bothered. The thirty or so workers were too busy with their furnaces to notice Hanson sneaking up behind them. "Sire," Gnarl said. "That valve at the end of the room controls the flow of whatever material these wretches use to make their fake jewels. If you were to open the valve fully, the amount of molten material would kill everyone in the room.

Hanson sent a minion to open the valve as far as it would go, while he made himself scarce. As the brown came running back, the Overlord heard screams as large amounts of molten liquid poured onto the presses, spilling to the floor in molten rivers.

Hanson carefully opened the door, but whatever resistance the workers might have offered had been annihilated by the river of molten liquid that lay cooling on the floor. The Overlord carefully made his way across the chamber, the browns following him in single file. The browns weren't the brightest minions, but they were smart enough to avoid the certain death that stepping on the cooling mixture.

While most of the workers were running back and forth, trying to figure out what happened in the press room, the Overlord snuck past them, the steadily hotter air leading him to the door labeled "Forge Room."

Outside the Dark Tower, night had fallen and Assira had finally finished cleaning the now fully rebuilt throne room. She had collapsed near the throne and was fast asleep when Gnarl woke her up by prodding her with a fork.

"Dinner," he announced, producing a plate of what looked like sausages with potatoes. Assira hadn't eaten since breakfast many hours ago, so she threw herself on the meal, finishing it under five minutes. "Do you know where I could bathe?" she asked the diminutive minion master when she had finished. "There's a door behind the rightmost pillar that leads to a room right above the Tower Forge with a water basin. The water won't be too hot now, but it should be warm enough for your needs." Assira nodded her thanks and slowly stood up, her legs burning from the effort of being on her hands and knees almost all day. She slowly walked towards the pillar Gnarl had pointed out and pushed the door open. As Gnarl had described, there was a stone basin with heated water. She drew enough water for her bath, undressed and sank in, the warm water easing the knots in her muscles.

As the Overlord opened the door to the forge room, he took in what he saw. The red minions were in a sort of sewer system under the grate-like floor and were shuttled to where they were needed with metal spikes. The crude way the reds were being controlled made Hanson very angry, and he charged forward, his boots ringing on the grate, the fifteen browns behind him. The workers in this room were protected by twenty armored figures that looked like rogue knights. As the Overlord charged, they fanned out into a semi-circle, swords drawn and shields raised.

Hanson's initial charge was unsuccessful in breaking through the defensive lines, and he was repulsed despite cutting one of the knights' shields in half with a sweep of his axe. Focusing on the half-shielded knight, the Overlord charged, this time slaying the knight. As soon as he was through their line, the knights caught Hanson in a U formation and suddenly, he was being attacked from three sides. The knights, in their zeal to kill Hanson, forgot about the diminutive creatures he commanded. No doubt they considered them harmless. Their misjudgment became apparent when five of the knights were felled with quick slashes to their necks. When the knights turned to face the new threat, Hanson struck out with his axe, killing two knights with just the blunt force of his weapon.

The last eleven knights formed a square that made them impenetrable to conventional attacks. The Overlord retreated towards the smelter, making sure the knights were still following him. When they were close enough, Hanson ordered the browns to tip the smelter over, spilling its molten contents onto the advancing knights.

Their shrieks of pain were music to his ears as he watched them burn. Then, the world seemed to turn upside down, and there was a bone splitting pain in his left bicep. Hanson whirled to see that one of the workers had snuck up on him and stabbed a dagger deep into his left arm. Harnessing his pain, the Overlord let go of his axe and struck out, quick as a snake with his right arm. The steel gauntlet broke the man's nose and sent him staggering backwards. Hanson picked up his axe and drove the spike at the top through the worker's neck one-handed.

Dropping the axe again, he pulled out the dagger imbedded in his arm and inspected it, looking for signs of poison. Finding none, he dropped the dagger and picked up his axe once more. "It seems you've found the Durium smelter sire!" Gnarl's voice sounded in the Overlord's ear. "Grab it and take it back to the Tower along with the red hive." Hanson reached down and pulled up a section of the grate, allowing the red minions to climb out and guide him to the red minion hive.

All the workers had fled the facility by the time Hanson had freed the reds, so his progression to the red hive was unopposed. The Overlord ordered the reds to pick up the hive when his vision blurred and he stumbled. Holding himself up with his axe, Hanson slowly made his way to the waypoint gate and teleported to the Tower after the red hive and Durium smelter.

Assira had just finished her bath when she heard Gnarl's voice with an edge to it she had never heard before. "Hold him up! Keep his arm lower than his heart and move him to the throne. Assira slipped on a robe made from some fluffy animal and hurried out the door, curious to see what was going on.

Hanson was sitting on his throne with his helmet off as the minions removed his armor from the waist up. Gnarl was too busy pouring some foul-smelling concoction down his master's throat to notice Assira enter. "What happened to him?" she asked, noting Hanson's pale expression and feverish eyes.

In her mind Assira was fighting a mental battle with herself. On one hand, the Overlord had made her clean the Throne Room, but on the other he had saved her life and taken her into his home.

"He's been stabbed with a poison blade," Gnarl replied tersely snapping Assira out of her thoughts, too busy trying to save the Overlord's to pay attention to how Assira was staring at Hanson's well-built body or the surprise on her face when she noticed that the wound on his left arm was smoking.

"What's going on with his arm?" she asked, rushing over. "The Tower can heal all physical injuries," Gnarl replied. "I'm more worried about the poison than the wound." Suddenly Hanson sat up and coughed, breathing heavily. "Sire," Gnarl said with obvious relief. "You had us worried for a moment there." Hanson's eyes cleared and he nodded to Gnarl and Assira before closing eyes and falling asleep.

"Loon, Lumpy, and Dribble carry the Overlord to his bed," Gnarl commanded. The three browns snatched up the unconscious form of their master and began to climb the stairs to his private quarters. "There are plenty of couches in the private quarters," Gnarl said. "We'll sleep in turns. If he starts to get worse, wake me up." He turned and began to shuffle up the stairs, looking as old as he felt. "Why me?" Assira asked. Gnarl turned and smiled wryly, "because you're the only one in this tower that I'd trust with his life besides myself."

(A/N): Well, the plot thickens and we have our first near-death experience. Thanks for reading. Please review and provide constructive criticism where necessary.

~Russian Overlord~


	14. Chapter 14

A/N): By the Forgotten God, chapter 4 already? I seem to be cranking these things out faster the _National Enquirer _cranks out scandals. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own the characters I create, not the Overlord series.

**Chapter XIV: Learning from the best**

Gnarl and Assira had spent a restless night watching over Hanson as the Overlord slept like a log. _Whatever hocus-pocus Gnarl did, it seemed to work_, Assira thought as she watched the young Overlord breathe deeply. She sat on one of the couches, her legs tucked up against her chest. Assira stretched and yawned as sleep threatened to overwhelm her, but she fought it off, remembering the many nights she had spent out in the wilderness next to a fire, not daring to sleep lest the wild animals that were stalking her get their chance to attack.

Assira looked at Gnarl, lost in her own thoughts. The minion master was asleep, his floppy ears covering his eyes. _He's kind of like a bunny_, Assira thought. _A demonic, evil-obsessed, probably immortal bunny with the combined intellect of several scholars in one mind. _

As if he had heard her thoughts, Gnarl woke up, stretching his aged limbs and yawning so widely that Assira was afraid he was going to swallow the couch. "Is he still asleep?" he asked. "Yes," she answered, yawning in reply. "If my estimates are correct, he should awaken in a few hours," Gnarl said. "May I suggest that you get some sleep?"

Assira nodded and snuggled into the plushy couch, feeling sleep closing in on her. The last thing she remembered thinking was why she had spent so much energy helping the man who had made her clean his Throne Room.

Gnarl watched Assira carefully as she drifted off to sleep. He had lived long enough to be able to read people by facial expressions alone, and he saw Assira's confusion at her infatuation with Hanson. Smiling grimly, Gnarl reached hundreds of years back into his mind and saw the same confusion in almost every mistress any of the previous Overlords had ever chosen. _There must be at least a little pure Evil in her_, Gnarl thought. Gnarl reached under his cloak and pulled out a leather-bound tome and unlocked it with a small key that hung around his neck. "Here we are…" he muttered. The minion master leaned forward and read.

_The_ _first Overlord's mistress exhibited a strange duality: she was equally repulsed and attracted to the Overlord, but in the end her attraction won out because the Evil energy deep within her was activated by the Overlord's continued presence. Both the first Overlord and his mistress were killed when a band of heroes invaded their fortress, leaving no heirs._

Satisfied that the records were in his favor, Gnarl closed and stowed the book, making sure it was secured to his back. The minion master summoned a brown and ordered him to relay a message to the reds: the master would soon wake, and a proper meal was necessary. Gnarl then leaned back and continued to watch the steady rise and fall of his master's chest.

Hanson awoke to the smell of roasting bird. At first, he thought that he had dreamed of becoming Overlord, and that he still had a long way to go. Then, as he sat up and felt the wound in his arm, reality came flooding back. "It is good to see you awake sire," Gnarl said, appearing suddenly near Hanson's bedside. "Other parties are too tired to behold your magnificence's awakening." "Other parties?" Hanson asked, looking around. He spotted Assira out cold on a nearby couch, and strange feelings coursed through the young Overlord's heart. Hanson shook his head, dismissing his feelings as side effects of the poison that had nearly killed him.

"Master need food?" a red asked. Hanson stood up and stretched, noting that he was still wearing his greaves and boots. The Overlord threw a tunic on, got rid of the remains of armor and walked to the table that stood near the entrance to the private quarters. The reds, able to keep food hot just by being nearby, brought Hanson a plate on which lay a sizable chunk of the first bird unlucky enough to fly near the Tower. The Overlord dug in with relish, extremely hungry after his brush with death. As he ate, Gnarl wandered over, his clawed hands clasped in anticipation.

"Thanks to you sire, we have recovered the red minions and the Durium smelter. Now, Giblet can create stronger armor that will protect you from any unfortunate…mishaps," the old minion finished, his eyes on Hanson's left arm. The Overlord nodded his mouth full of meat. "May I suggest a different weapon this time sire?" Gnarl continued. "A sword provides better defensive capabilities and is faster. Also, I do seem to remember a design that weighted the top half blade, causing your already mighty swings to do more damage." Hanson considered and nodded. "Do it."

Assira awoke when a dreadful clanging reverberated through the private quarters. She looked up and noticed the Overlord, his armor removed, smashing two steel frying pans together. "What was that for?" she asked huffily. "I hardly slept last night, keeping watch over you." His expression softened slightly and he lowered the frying pans and walked over, as lithe as a panther. I don't believe we've met," he said finally, after looking her over. "My name is Hanson the Overlord" He held out his hand and she shook it, a pleasant tingle coursing through her veins. "Assira the thief," she said with a smile that threatened to outshine the sun.

Hanson caught himself staring, and said "Gnarl has convinced me that we no longer need you as a servant and that your talents would be of use to me. You will study under him and do everything he tells you. He has knows much, and learning from him for five years shaped me into the unstoppable force I am today." Assira nodded and asked "when do I start?"

As Hanson vanished into the forge room to create his Durium armor, Assira dressed in the clothes the minion had provided, a simple red dress, and went to the library a level below the Throne Room.

"These lessons will encompass a great many different topics, the information in which may save your life," Gnarl began, stroking his beard. "We will begin with the history of Good and Evil," he said, gesturing to the large pile of books lying on a rickety wooden table. Assira almost groaned, but restrained herself. Gnarl observed her carefully, and after a few seconds broke into an evil grin. "Good," he said. "You have passed the first test: you listen to your Overlord." Assira wanted to plant her foot in Gnarl's face, but once again, restrained herself. "In terms of history we will only cover the events that led up to the Old Overlord's confrontation with William the Paladin," Gnarl continued. "Most of what I will teach you will be magical in nature." Gnarl observed Assira carefully, noting the glimmer in her green eyes when he had mentioned magic.

_She's perfect_, he thought. Gnarl resisted the urge to cackle manically as he began to teach Assira about the nature of Evil energy.

(A/N): No witty comments this time. ;] Please review and provide constructive criticism where necessary.

~Russian Overlord~


	15. Chapter 15

(A/N): Well, this is another long one. I decided to slow down a little with the updates so I could produce more quality content. As always, enjoy.

Disclaimer: I own the characters I create, not the Overlord series.

**Chapter XV: Size Matters**

Hanson stood still as Giblet and his assistants suited him up in the newly-made Durium armor. The Overlord had decided to forgo his old armor design in favor of one that offered more protection from possible threats. The new armor featured extended shoulder pauldrons, increased plating near the elbows and heavier gauntlets that had spikes on the knuckles for hand-to-hand fighting.

The Overlord's new sword had been forged using the design that Gnarl had provided: a bastard sword with a blade that thinned as it left the crosspiece and thickened after the first half of the blade. In the end, the weight was the same as that of a normal sword, but the damage caused by it was frightful. Hanson took a few experimental swings and was very satisfied with his new weapon.

The Overlord descended the stone steps to the library, plotting Evil deeds. Situated beneath the throne room, the library had low ceilings that were almost brushed by the many bookcases that filled the room. The many square stone columns that held up the ceiling contained four torches, one on each side that burned with an unnatural white flame. The torches' combined light burned as bright as day, allowing for reading at any time. A plush carpet covered the floor, hand woven by enslaved elves during the reign of the third Overlord, almost a thousand years ago.

Hanson made his way towards the back end of the library, where Gnarl paced back and forth lecturing Assira. As he neared, the Overlord could hear the minion master discussing the matter of Evil fashion and decorum.

"Those in the business of Evil never created the grisly fashion for which we are known today. The people under their dominion seemed to think that being evil meant you grew spikes and decorated your home with skulls. The first evildoers, not wishing to disappoint their subjects, were quick to affix spikes to their armor and to decorate their dwellings with skulls of various types. Unfortunately, maintaining such an image is high maintenance, as the spikes could rust and the likelihood of finding skulls conveniently lying around is low. Besides the need to constantly keep flies away from the fresh skulls, the spikes added a lot of weight and as a result, evil females declared the spikes almost unbearable, leaving them to the men."

Gnarl paused and produced a small bottle labeled **Condensed Fear: For evildoers, by evildoers**. As he took a swig, Assira's voice came from behind a stack of books, one of which, Hanson noted, looked like Gnarl's personal copy of **Evil Architecture through the Ages**, a well-worn dog-eared book that the minion master always kept on hand during construction projects.

"So what **do **Evil women wear?" Assira asked. Gnarl put down the bottle and wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his robe before answering "Female outfits in the Evil fashion generally consist of an expensive dress, preferably made from some vanishing species, as well as a cloak made from fluffy and adorable creatures such as seals and lambs. There's nothing quite like reminding those tree-hugging elves that 'survival of the fluffiest' will never catch on."

Gnarl paused and noticed Hanson standing by one of the pillars, the white torchlight reflecting off of the Durium that made up his armor. "Sire, your new armor is sure to ruin the pants of your enemies," he said with an evil chuckle.

Assira stood, happy for the excuse to get out of her chair, and stretched, feeling her joints pop as she listened to Hanson and Gnarl.

"Master, I do believe that it is time to make your presence known while increasing the Dark Tower's income. The time is ripe for your soon-to-be loyal subjects to know that the Overlord has returned. If I remember correctly, there is a small mining village in the mountains called Clearhollow. It would suit your needs well as a first conquest, as it is quite isolated."

The Overlord flexed his left arm, feeling the tendons stretch as he did so, and nodded silently. Without a word, he turned around and began to ascend the stairs two at a time, drawing his new sword from its sheath on his back as he went.

"Your lesson for today is at an end," Gnarl said. "We shall reconvene tomorrow after breakfast." With that, the minion master began to climb the stairs, leaving Assira on her own in the library.

Hanson appeared on the tower gate at the foot of Mount Clearhollow, named for its clear springs. The Overlord summoned his minions, thankful that the Tower had saved him an arduous journey on foot. As Hanson started up the mountain, it quickly became apparent that something was wrong. The front gate of the mining colony was wide open, no people, or anything living could be seen.

As the Overlord entered the town proper, he became aware of the smell of death and rotting corpses emanating from the town hall. Hanson cautiously opened the door and peered inside. At least a hundred rotting corpses lay all over the floor in various stages of decay, swarms of flies circling them like vultures. "The ghastly smells, the decaying corpses, its all so homely," Gnarl said through the link into Hanson's helmet. "I would not get close to them though sire, I feel the tingle of magic here. Never a good feeling in towns as out of the way as this one master, perhaps there's something more valuable here than gold."

Hanson heeded Gnarl's advice and exited the town hall, making sure not to touch the corpses. The Overlord approached the mine shaft that loomed, dank and dark, out of the side of the mountain. "I really don't like the look of this sire," Gnarl said. "Expect to encounter necromantic magic inside." Hanson nodded in acknowledgement and stepped inside the Clearhollow Mine.

Assira sat in the room that Hanson had provided for her own personal use. It was simply furnished, a woolen carpet, several chairs, a comfortable bed, and a wooden table with bookshelves above it. The ornate window was wide open and the red curtains billowed in the breeze. Assira sighed as she sank into one of the chairs and sighed contentedly, letting her long red hair drape down the back of the chair. She reached over to the mirror that she kept on the edge of the table. Assira looked into it, more out of habit than necessity. She saw an elegant face with high cheekbones, making her look regal and cold, but her eyes were a lively, scorching green that had given her the name Assira, meaning "scorching" in the ancient tongue of some civilization that had long since vanished into the annals of history.

Assira sat and mused on the strange feelings she had for Hanson. She couldn't quite explain them, but like everything about the Overlord, she had a feeling it was magical in nature. Outside, the reds were back at their usual station, frying all the birds that dared enter the Tower's airspace with fireballs. Lulled by the sound of scorched poultry hitting the ground, Assira nodded off.

As the Overlord entered the mine with fifteen browns and five reds at his back, he heard an unearthly scream issuing forth from the darkness. A zombie shuffled out of the darkness, its mouth slavering, its single remaining eye fixed on what it hoped would be its next meal. Hanson swung with his new Durium sword in an upwards arc, splitting the zombie in half. The Overlord raised his left arm and the crystal within his gauntlet flared white, illuminating the passageway.

He saw fifteen zombies shuffling aimlessly around the passage that turned to look, and then charged at the Overlord. The first five caught fire as the reds chucked fireballs, and the rest were roasted as Hanson raised his left hand and incinerated the rest with a blast of orange flame.

As the zombies sizzled and the smell of roast meat filled the passage, Gnarl spoke once more. "It appears that someone, or something, doesn't want us to advance down the passage sire. I'm sure that provides all the more reason to continue, assuming you're able to handle the zombie hordes sire."

Hanson shifted his grip on his sword and continued down the tunnel, his left arm illuminating the passage ahead of him. As the minion horde and their Overlord continued down the tunnel, the amount of zombies exponentially increased. Hanson was glad for the protection his armor provided against the undead, but the minions were not so fortunate. Despite their natural tenacity and general fearlessness, they began to die as the undead came in ever-increasing droves.

Soon, Hanson was down to five hardy browns and the five reds that had come with him. "You are almost at the bottom of the mine sire," Gnarl said in Hanson's ear. "I recommend that you find the zombies' controller instead of blindly engaging the undead themselves."

The Overlord stepped into a large chamber within the mine, lit by torchlight. Gold lay heaped in large piles around several large cylinders. One had a carving of a minion, the other glowed blue, and one red. "Interesting," Gnarl said. "A minion, mana, and health upgrade in one place? I smell a trap, and not a very clever one. That usually means that whoever set the trap is in some dark corner giggling."

Hanson skirted the obvious piles of gold as well as the Tower objects and made his way towards the shadowy corner of the chamber where he could have sworn he had heard giggling a few seconds ago. As he neared, a small figure dressed in a purple robe ran out of the corner, waving a staff. "To me my evil minions," the strange being shouted in a high-pitched voice. The zombies that had streamed through the entrance to the chamber shuffled towards the figure, forming a protective barrier.

"Time for your next lesson sire," Gnarl said hurriedly. "Focus your Evil energy into your hands, and imagine something that angers you to such intensity that you feel aflame." The Overlord stabbed his sword into the ground and did as Gnarl said.

"**I knew you would draw on my power again…**" the voice of the being whose power Hanson had used five years ago resounded in the Overlord's mind. "**I shall grant you the power you seek, for a price**." _What price would that be?_ Hanson thought. "**You will give me the embodiment of love in exchange for the greatest Evil power this pitiful world shall ever know,**" the voice said, presumably reading the young man's thoughts. _Sounds like a fair trade_, Hanson thought. "**Prepare yourself mortal,**" the voice said with what sounded like a warped chuckle.

Time seemed to stop as the Overlord felt power flowing through his veins far beyond what he had ever known before. Black flames seemed to leap from his outstretched arms, incinerating the zombies in their path, until the entire horde of undead had been reduced to ashes. Hanson could hear Gnarl saying something, but couldn't hear him over the roar of the fires.

The purple-robed necromancer stared in shock as Hanson approached, his hands still burning with black flames. "Wha-how?" he squeaked. "Does it matter?" Hanson said as he gripped the short necromancer by the collar. "You have delayed my plans for the domination of this town's populace by zombifying them. Now, you shall pay."

"They haven't been turned into zombies!" the necromancer squealed. "They're in the cells at the town prison. I wanted them to work for me! We're both Evil, we should work together, and become the most powerful Evil men in the world!"

"I think not," Hanson said as he began to incinerate the necromancer. "The evil men do is nothing compared to the Evil I do." The necromancer squealed one final time as Hanson turned him to ash.

"Well done sire," Gnarl said as the black flames died down. "Now, it would be beneficial to inform the villagers of their 'salvation.' Now would also be the best time to 'rescue' all the gold and tower objects you can. I believe I should be able to reactivate a waypoint gate in the vicinity."

A blue light began to glow in one of the chamber's corners, and the Overlord summoned a fresh horde of minions to steal all he could. With that task complete, Hanson began the trip back to the surface.

The citizens of the village were the necromancer had said they were: the town prison. "You are free from the necromancer's rule," Hanson announced. "Now, you will obey me, or your lives and souls are forfeit." "As you say m'lord," the village elder said. "Just let us out."

The Overlord emerged out of the Tower Portal, a satisfied smirk on his face as the young man removed his helmet and wiped his sweaty black hair with an armored hand. "Your plans are coming to fruition sire," Gnarl said with a gleeful grin. "Soon you will be able to conquer Spree as well, rebuilding the previous Overlord's Dark Domain."

"No," Hanson said. "I plan to go much further than the old Overlord. I plan to conquer William's kingdom and burn it to the ground. That pious _bastard_ will pay for what he has done to me."

The barely-suppressed rage in the Overlord's voice gladdened Gnarl: if the master was angry, then Gnarl's carefully-laid plans for global subjection to Evil would succeed all that much quicker. _As beneficial as his rage can be, it might cause him to destroy himself in the long run of things_, Gnarl thought.

"Hanson, is that you?" a sleepy voice said. Hanson's expression noticeably softened as Assira appeared on the stairs and began to descend. _Excellent,_ Gnarl thought. _If she can keep his blinding fits of rage in check, he shall become the greatest Overlord in the history of the entire world._

(A/N): Well, this is my longest chapter so far folks. Tune in next time to a chapter hopefully not titled by a sexual pun (if you chose to interpret it that way).

Review please, and constructively criticize me where necessary.

If you plan to complain about Elizabeth's lack of character, physical description, etc, I'm working on it. :D ~Russian Overlord~


	16. Chapter 16

(A/N): Well hello there! I haven't updated in a while due to lack of inspiration, but we have started medieval history at my school and with a bit of research on the side, Evil came running faster than a man after a succubus (don't you love my similes?). We're back in business.

Disclaimer: I claim the souls of the characters I have created, not those of the Overlord series.

**Chapter XVI: A New Plot (of Evil)**

William the Paladin paced the length of his white hall, gazing up at the ornate ceiling that was engraved by the finest masters of the past century. The design of William's order, a sun, was inlaid with gold to create one of the most beautiful works of art in the known world. William's mind, however, was not concerned with the beauty of his ceiling, but the reports he had received from Spree. The paladin had received a letter from the mayor of Spree, but something wasn't quite right. William sighed in frustration and read the letter again.

_To the King, William the Golden._

_Sire, the knight you have sent us is a true servant of the light. He has cleared the forest and the nearby countryside of all sorts of criminals and returned us to your peace. Sir Ryrin has taken residence in the old tower to the south and restored it to most of its former glory and made it a place of light where once there was darkness. _

_He also has disposed of a necromancer that had kept the village of Clearhollow under his control with a horde of zombies. The villagers were unwilling to provide full details, but they are quite thankful for their salvation._

_Thank you again,_

_Wilford, Mayor of Spree_

"There!" William muttered. "The villagers were unwilling to provide full details!"

"What's so wrong with that?" Elizabeth asked from her position on a leather armchair. "Why would the villagers be unwilling to tell us what happened if they are truly freed from oppression?" William asked, staring at the ceiling again. "I think you're just unwilling to accept the fact that someone can do your job as well as you," Elizabeth said from the armchair, taking a sip of her tea.

_So much like her mother_…William thought. His daughter had inherited her mother's features, from the strawberry blonde hair to the high cheekbones and the blue eyes that sparkled with blessings from the Light that William had bestowed upon her when she was born. "Father?" Elizabeth looked at William with concern. "Are you alright?" William looked back at his daughter and sighed again, realizing that his concerns were probably the result of stress over the suitors, none of whom he would ever trust his daughter with.

"We should hold a tournament," William began. "All those hoping to win your hand in marriage will participate, which should get rid of any suitors that are too fat to move."

At the newly rebuilt Dark Tower Gnarl gazed into the Tower Portal, a smile forming on his face as a plan formed in the minion master's mind. Hanson, who was sitting on his new darksteel throne, raised an eyebrow under his helmet as Gnarl began to chuckle in that Evil way of his, signifying that a brand new plot was on the way.

"Gnarl?" he said. "I have a new scheme sire," the minion master said in a satisfied tone. "William and his righteous ilk have decided to hold a tournament for his daughter's hand, being the over-protective father. Poor thing, that princess, only being allowed to be courted just now; I remember the old king giving away his daughter at thirteen. However, there was something about her being a succubus as well, so that might have had something to do with it."

Hanson considered the plan and decided that it was acceptable. "It would be all too easy to defeat the other suitors, but the difficult part would be shielding my increased Evil from the multitude of paladins that are sure to be there." "A good point sire," Gnarl replied. "Luckily, I have looked into that. A very special set of armor exists that belonged to the very first Overlord that lays buried with him in his tomb in the darkest part of Evernight. Needless to say that besides elves we may have to contend with whatever guardians the first Overlord left behind. I remember him…he was quite a strong one."

"It doesn't matter. My newfound powers are quite great," Hanson said as he got up off his throne and flexed his left arm. The darkness was strong within him and burned with a fiery passion for destruction.

"Come to think of it, the First Overlord had similar powers," Gnarl muttered to himself. "I believe that the First Overlord's guardians won't be any trouble after all. That still leaves the world's most annoying tree huggers."

"What are we waiting for then? There's a chance we could encounter the green minions as well." Hanson said. "Very well sire. I shall provide assistance when needed, as per usual."

"A tournament?" Elizabeth's eyes lit more than usual. She had read many stories of chivalry in her childhood, but never witnessed one before. William had forbidden them after his return from the war, to avoid unnecessary deaths, with the kingdom's armies stretched so thin after the horrific losses during the last clash with the Overlord.

"That is a wonderful idea! When shall it begin?" "I think a moth should be enough for enough knights to assemble and for the suitors to clean the rust from their swords."

The wheels began to turn and messages were issued from the Capital City to all nobility and every knight in the land. Elizabeth made sure that she saw the messenger bound for Ryrin's tower off personally, reveling at the thought of learning more about the man behind the steel plate.

Hanson appeared in a flash of red light on a ruined tower gate and called his standard amount of minions: twenty browns and ten reds, all armed with newly forged weapons and armor purchased discreetly from the dwarves. Hanson gazed around himself as the golden light that issued through the canopies of the trees lit up his surroundings. He spotted a patch of wood that was much darker than the surrounding trees and snorted quietly. _They might as well have drawn a skull and crossbones pointing to it_, Hanson thought. The Overlord freed his new sword from its sheath and began to make his way into the dark center of Evernight.

(A/N): A bit of a short chapter, for which I apologize, but it does set up the next chapter nicely (I think). As per usual, review please and provide constructive criticism where necessary.


	17. Chapter 17

(A/N): Hello Ladies and Gentlemen! I cordially invite you to read this newest chapter of Son of the Overlord. Formalities aside, I deeply apologize for the lack of updates (MW3 is partly to blame), and plan to upload more this week. I have the next few chapters ready to upload, so please read and review!

This chapter attempts to begin to strike the sparks between our young hero and his potential mistress, owing to the lack of lovey-dovey drama (isn't it disgusting?).

TL;DR: I'm back, will upload more this week, guaranteed.

**Disclaimer: I lay claim to the souls of the characters I create. The rest belong to Triumph, etc.**

**Chapter XVII: Greens and levitating thieves**

Hanson moved forward confidently, carelessly stepping on the plants that grew near the side of the path he was walking on. His minions followed in a blob, looking cautiously to each side. The Overlord's newly enhanced senses allowed him to sweep the surrounding area for hidden dangers. The dark center of the forest looked as bright as the sun on a summer day, which suggested substantial dangers.

"If I may make a suggestion sire, I would recommend extreme caution and stealth before venturing into the first Overlord's tomb. I suggest acquiring the greens before progressing further."

"Agreed," Hanson said and nodded. The Overlord sat down and reached out with his newfound power, feeling the land around himself. Hanson reeled back as he _felt _a particularly pungent smell hit his mind.

Without a word, the Overlord stretched to the maximum of his imposing height, Durium armor clanking. Hanson summoned his minions to his side and began to progress towards the green minions.

The forest of Evernight had a reputation of being monotonous to the untrained eye, which often led to the deaths of travelers who did not have the favor of the elves that dwelt there. The Overlord, despite not having the elves favor, was able to charge the front of his armor with corrosive energy that burned away the undergrowth in front of him as he moved colder and closer to the green minions.

Assira was being kept in the dark, literally. Gnarl had sent her to the chamber she inhabited and ordered her to stay inside. Her meals were brought to her by minions, and no less than five browns stood guard outside her door. She had tried distracting them, but whatever Gnarl threatened them with was working to keep them on task.

Assira still had access to the books that filled the shelves, and judging from the titles, this chamber had been the dwelling of a mistress of the Overlord some time long since forgotten by all except Gnarl.

The fiery woman refused to be cooped up inside her room, so she had spent the better part of three days trying to find another way out. She had heard many stories of maidens that had been locked in towers, but she had enough sense to know that no knight was coming for her. Her background contained nothing of particular interest or noble ties.

_Looks like it's all up to me…again_, she thought as she absently leafed through yet another book, this one on the practical applications of magical fields that could be warped to suit almost any purpose. Assira brushed her red-orange hair out of the way as she found a likely-looking paragraph.

_Through application of a specific variation of magical fields to the hands and feet, it is possible to achieve either attraction or repulsion to a surface. Thus, while true flight is not possible, it is possible to hover above a surface or to hold on to something with the strength of the mightiest dragon._

_While the incantation is simple enough, true masters of the arcane utilize magic without incantations, using simple raw energy and an iron will to bind it into the desired form._

_The simplest way to achieve a feat like this is to experience strong emotions that harness the raw magic energy of the mage in question._

Assira grinned to herself as she read the ancient text. It would be simple enough to use the incantation to escape out the window. However, as she read on, the incantation was written a language she could not decipher despite many attempts. In the end, she ended up with nothing more than a headache.

Assira huffed and flipped back to the original paragraph. The message was clear enough: nothing was going to come easy. "Strong emotions…" she muttered. "Well, no use sitting around, might as well try."

The past thief sat down on a rug in the center of the room and gathered every scrap of hate she could muster. If the text wanted strong emotions of repulsion, it would get them.

Hanson could feel the presence of the green minions drawing nearer with every step he took, as well as a presence that wavered in and out of his awareness. "I suggest extreme caution sire," Gnarl said, clearly able to sense as much as Hanson "There's no telling what that being could be. I will check the historic records for information, but even the might not contain the answers to this puzzle."

Hanson loosened the Durium sword in its sheath and kept his right hand on the hilt, ready to draw it at the first sign of trouble. "You shouldn't have come here…" A strange voice reverberated through the trees that surrounded the Overlord and his minions. "Only death awaits those who seek it."

"And you know what I seek?" Hanson asked the voice. "Of course…you are not the first, and not the last. Many wish to wed our beautiful queen, but she bows to no man, no matter the race or upbringing."

The Overlord cocked his head slightly and Gnarl's snorts of laughter could be heard along with the shuffling of pages. "It appears we are dealing with a sect of Druids so in tune with nature, that they are hard to distinguish from their surroundings through senses magical and mundane," said gnarl with another snort. "I thought they were wiped out long ago, seeing as their home was burned to the ground. Legend does speak of their queen being of extreme beauty and power. Might be worth it to take a peek."

Hanson gave no sign of his communication with Gnarl and said "I wish to gain an audience with Her Majesty."

"Very well…" the voice said with a theatrical sigh and leaves swirled around the Overlord until an elf dressed in a cloak of leaves stood before him. "This way, my unfortunate friend."

"It seems the green minions are in the same direction as this queen of theirs…I wonder if they could be there," said Gnarl.

Hanson followed the druid in silence, preferring to gaze around as the threes seemed to straighten and grow taller as the unlikely band progressed. At last, the trees parted and a meadow opened up, lit by the sun, the light reflecting off of the golden grasses. At the center of the meadow stood the largest tree Hanson had ever seen.

The Overlord was about to ask Gnarl about it when the minion master answered the unasked question. "If legends are to be believed, and seem to be more and more so as time goes on, this is the Father Tree, the root of all tree-hugging elves on this world. It is quite possible that the greens would be drawn to its power."

A house woven of the living branches of the Father Tree rested at the top of its mighty bows, and a stairway led up to the entrance. "That is the dwelling of our queen," the druid said. "You are free to go anywhere in the camp but Her Majesty's palace. Her guards will cut you down without mercy," The druid warned.

Hanson nodded his understanding and sat down in the shade of a tree on the outskirts of the camp. "A gate has opened for you sire," Gnarl informed. "Perhaps it would be wise to send your minions back to the Tower, as we do not want this queen to know anything about you."

The Overlord waved his hand and the minions scurried to the gate and gleefully leaped onto it.

Assira's brows were knitted in concentration as she focused all her hate on the floor beneath her. Even tough she didn't feel it, she rose a foot above the floor. Her green eyes burst open as she began to tip over, but she managed to steady herself. Elation raced through her as she realized that she was successful.

Assira drifted towards the window, opened it, and began to slowly drift downwards towards the surface.

Hanson yawned under his helmet as Gnarl read all the information that had been collected on the druid queen over the centuries. "She also is capable of bewitch-" Gnarl paused in mid-sentence. "My apologies sire, it seems as your charge has successfully passed the first test I set her. I shall return swiftly."

Assira was halfway down the side of the Tower when her power faltered and she began to plummet to her doom. She closed her eyes and wondered why she'd been so stupid.

Gnarl tapped into the vast maelstrom of magical energy within him and reached out to catch Assira in mid-flight. He set her down on the balcony of the Throne Room and smiled slightly to himself.

Assira cautiously opened her eyes, and realized she was no longer falling to her death. "You have passed the first test," Gnarl began casually. "You are well on you way to becoming a potential mistress for our young Overlord." "What makes you think I want to be his slave?" Assira asked, offended. "Being the right hand of the Overlord is a dangerous and difficult task," Gnarl continued as if he hadn't heard her. "If unlimited power and freedom aren't your preference, you may become a Tower servant, of course."

"I never said I was opposed," Assira began. "Just, why me? Do you do this to every woman you pick up on the roads?" "You show great promise, Assira," Gnarl said, more serious than the young woman had ever seen him before. "Few show as much potential as you. You are already well-versed in the arts of Evil. Deceit. Betrayal for personal gain. All these are central to maintaining a Dark Domain."

"How can you assure my freedom? You can't just ask me to spend the rest of my life with a man I hardly know. That's what royalty do." "You will come to know Him in time. Then you can decide for yourself, but there is an undeniable attraction between the two of you."

"It's nothing more than physical," Assira said, biting her lip. "Perhaps for now," the minion master replied," his claws clasped behind his back. "As I've said before, you will come to know the man behind the armor in time."

"So how old is he really? Is he some demon in human form?" Assira asked again. Not satisfied with Gnarl's assurances. "He is twenty-five, and all too human," Gnarl said, reverting to his slightly humorous tone. "Are you satisfied?"

"For now." "Good. The Tower is now open to you, feel free to explore. I have business to attend to."

(A/N): DUN DUN DUUUN! The plot thickens further…mysterious elvish druids and levitating thieves. I am once again sorry for the huge delay. Review and provide constructive criticism as necessary. ~RussianOverlord~


	18. Chapter 18

(A/N): As promised, the next chapter. This one's a little slow, but it builds suspense towards DOOM.

Disclaimer: Everything I create is my eternal property. Touch and I keel you! Overlord belongs to Codemasters.

**Chapter XVIII: The secrets of supermodels revealed **

The Capital City buzzed in excitement at the King's announcement. There hadn't been a tournament in five years; messengers were sent to every corner of the kingdom to invite nobles and knights to compete or attend. Even though he had his reservations, William sent an invitation to the man he knew as Ryrin as well, hoping to appease his daughter.

A tournament field was going up in the field in front of the capital city that could hold an army. William believed in helping the common man, and saw no reason to shirk his beliefs now. Even now, food merchants were fighting for the best positions near the stadium, hoping to outsell their competition.

As news of the tournament spread, the flow of suitors increased to unprecedented levels. William began to worry that if s fight broke out, an entire war could begin. The necessary ingredients were there: lots of young, arrogant men, alcohol, and a prize for which to die: his daughter.

Elizabeth watched the stadium going up from her chambers in the northernmost tower of the castle with elation. She could barely keep still as excitement bubbled within.

Hanson leaned against the tree under which he had been sitting for the better part of three hours, awaiting his audience. At last, the druid returned and motioned the Overlord to follow. "Remember to show the utmost respect, she is not one to be trifled with." Hanson nodded and followed, the dying sunlight glinting off of his armor.

"Be on your guide sire," Gnarl cautioned. "There's no telling what could be waiting for you." Hanson silently followed his guide to the throne room at the top of the Father Tree. Along the way, he saw what looked like honor guards standing at regular intervals, some with the curved swords favored by the elves, some without any. The Overlord assumed they were mages.

"One final word of warning," the druid said as he reached for the door handle. "Do not attempt to use magic here. She is quite intolerant of any magic that isn't natural." Hanson mutely nodded and stepped inside.

It was dark inside the hall, not surprising considering the deep shadows cast by the bows of the Father Tree. What was unusual was the green fire burning in the middle of the floor that didn't seem to affect the floor or the tree at all. It was smokeless and odorless, but as Hanson neared, he could feel its heat radiating outward.

"Welcome stranger, I know why you have come," a soft voice said from the shadows. Hanson almost rolled his eyes. "These druids are quite the performers aren't they sire? I wonder if there is any substance to their powers…" The druid queen made her dramatic entrance from the shadows. Hanson saw a delicate being of average human height, but with features that no human could possibly ever have. The sharp cheekbones and elegant facial structure gave her the appearance of a princess from some ancient tale. Her midnight-dark hair was artfully placed to frame and conceal part of her face. Gnarl suppressed a snigger as the elf raised her eyes to meet the Overlord's gaze and curtsied. Hanson took note that her dress was made from green silk and woven with flowers where there normally would be jewels. Her voice sent shivers down his spine. When she smiled at him, Hanson knew that no woman could ever compare to the elf in front of him. **"You fool…"** the Darkness within him whispered. **"She is charming you…Soon you will be completely under her sway. Fight it! Draw strength from your hatred!" **

"My name is Illyra," the elf continued, oblivious to the almost imperceptible change in the Overlord's stance. "If you wish to wed me, you must accomplish a series of tasks, as per custom."

Deep within, a burning hatred built up within the Overlord and frothed to the surface. His hand shot out and grabbed Illyra by the neck. She was lifted into the air, unable to call out for help. "I came here for one reason only, but now you have given me another. I feel the green minions nearby. Where are they?" The elf, realizing that struggling was useless, relaxed and spoke. "They belong to nature, with us." The Overlord snorted and slung Illyra over his shoulder and carried her to the door. "Show me," he said as he opened the door. She pointed to a patch of plants that seemed to give off a particularly pungent odor, if the green fumes coming off of it were any indication.

"That's the green hive sire!" Gnarl said, his elation evident. "The green minions should be drawn to your powers soon. As if on cue, ten greens climbed over the railing to hail their master. "Sire!" they chorused. The Overlord turned without a word and began the descent, drawing his sword as he went. The first few guards to try and stop him were slain almost instantly. The rest took the hint and fled.

"Pah, elves. Once the fighting starts, they have no backbone," Gnarl said with disgust. "Let them run, their over-inflated sense of honor needs to be punctured." The Overlord gestured for the minions to pick up the green hive and proceeded towards the tower portal.

Assira felt like she was being pampered now that she had passed Gnarl's test. She could go anywhere in the tower and do whatever she wanted. Being a thief, she naturally went to the treasury first, and spent some time looking critically at the gold and jewels that pooled the stone floor. She heard a commotion in the throne room, so she descended the stairs to see what was happening.

Gnarl was commanding the minions to carry the druidess queen to the dungeons and lock her in one of the cells. "Come on Grubby, pull your weight you lazy sack of pus!" The Overlord sat next to one of the columns and pulled off his helmet, revealing yet again his surprisingly young face. "Ah, my lady," he said as he noticed Assira at the top of the stairs. "I shall see you at dinner." Hanson got up and descended to the armory. "Dinner?" Assira asked Gnarl. "Yes, I thought it would be appropriate for you to get over your 'concerns' as soon as possible." "But, I have nothing fancy to wear…" Gnarl stared at her for a full second then doubled over laughing. "Oh you'll be fine," he said in between his chortles. "I'll have something brought up to you."

(A/N): Well, this is what I was referring to in terms of DOOM. The dreaded first date. Enjoy the awkwardness in the next chapter. :D ~RussianOverlord~


	19. Chapter 19

(A/N): Here it is, the chapter that scared me the most to write. I hope you enjoy it. It is my first attempt at writing something romantic, so please provide as much constructive criticism as you can.

Disclaimer: Own the Overlord series, I do not. My characters to me belong.

**Chapter XIX: The Dreaded First Date (of doom) **

True to his word, Gnarl procured a beautiful black silk dress with a ruby necklace and bracelet. Assira was speechless as she stared at the beautiful creation of fashion before her. "Where did you get this?" She asked as she held it up to her lithe frame. It seemed to be made for her. "I ordered it when you first arrived. One can never be too sure when such things are needed."

Elizabeth was once again in the throne room yet again, watching suitors prance about in a vain attempt to catch her interest. She sighed and smiled at yet another group of suitors as they bowed and left the throne room. "They never stop coming…will they ever stop?" Elizabeth asked William. The paladin sighed and shook his head "when we deny some, even more show up. The population of the city has almost doubled in the last month or so." "None of them are even slightly interesting! It's almost as if they were all cut from the same mold."

"They have similar upbringings, so here they are: one thousand and one versions of the same person. Not all have the privilege to think of things other than the continuation of their line."

"How is the stadium coming along?" Elizabeth asked, hoping to allay the boredom that was closing in. "It is almost complete. Most of the lords and knights have responded to our summons, so the tourney shall begin in a few weeks." "And Ryrin? Will he come?"

William cringed inwardly as he saw the effect the name of the strange knight had on his daughter's mood. "He was one of the first to respond. He said that unless unforeseen circumstances arise, he shall be at the tourney."

Assira fussed at her appearance in the mirror and constantly checked if it was time to descend to the dining hall. Despite the fact she had been the focus of men's desires for five years now, since the age of sixteen, she felt as nervous about meeting the man behind the steel as robbing the Royal treasury.

At last, Gnarl came to her door and rapped on it twice with some sort of walking stick that looked it had come out of a well-to-do noble against his will. Assira was sure that the red coloring on the tip was the blood of its previous owner.

"If you're ready, we can go," he said with that strange smile of his that seemed to encourage and threaten at the same time. As the unlikely duo descended the stairs, the minion master began to reminisce about the "good old evil days." "It seems like yesterday that I escorted the third Overlord's mistress down these very steps, to meet her future…husband." "How long ago was that?" Assira asked, feeling like a little girl walking with her grandfather again. "If my memory is correct, approximately three-and-a-half thousand years ago."

The rest of the descent was in silence, both Assira and Gnarl remembering the past. At last, the duo reached the dining hall, where Hanson was pacing restlessly, as nervous as the woman descending the stairs. The dining hall was a huge stone chamber in the heart of the Dark Tower, similar in design to the Throne Room. Huge columns rose to meet the ceiling and were carved with images of past Overlords. The room was lit by a hearth and the numerous torches that lined the walls. Despite the light, the ceiling and its gold inlay remained invisible.

Hanson had picked out his best clothes (according to Gnarl), a black velvet tunic and breeches as black as the void. The tunic was trimmed with red, and the Overlord's crest was embroidered on the front: a helmet with the crown of spikes.

On the inside, the minion master was chortling at the sight of the Overlord and Assira. Only his long service to the Overlords kept him from bursting out laughing. That, and the memory of what happened the last time he laughed at an Overlord. The heated Iron Maiden left a lasting impression on the minion master.

"I will leave you two to your dinner. I have to attend to the new prisoner. Information doesn't extract itself." With a bow, Gnarl left the dining hall and headed towards the dungeon, glad that the walls were soundproofed.

Silence extended between Hanson and Assira. Both smiled at one another and nervously made their way towards the dinner table. "So, I don't know much about you or your family, but from what Gnarl tells me, you know at least some of my background," Hanson began. "There's not much to tell," Assira said. "I ran away from home at sixteen when I understood I was going to be married off to some man I never met." "You're of noble blood?" Hanson asked, slightly surprised. "I've never heard of any noble running off by themselves." Assira smiled slightly "clearly your experience in the open world is limited."

"True, I lived in the Northlands until I reached twenty. Then, I set out to find my fortune. Fate brought me here. The rest you know. Would you like some wine?"

As the two sipped the finest wine in the entire land, Elven Red, a brown dressed in the outfit of a cook appeared at the table and looked expectantly at the duo. Hanson's smile slightly soured as he recognized the minion as Grubby. Having a being named "Grubby" cooking his food, did not appeal to Hanson.

"Tonight, we have roast beef with mashed potatoes," the minion said with almost perfect pronunciation. "The food will be served soon." Hanson wondered how long it took Gnarl to teach the brown those two sentences. "I have never heard a minion speak so well before, except Gnarl of course," Assira said as her eyes followed the minion out. Hanson took a quick peek at he notes he had painstakingly written on sheaves of paper and placed in his sleeves. While his companion was distracted he read the first line: _Tell her how beautiful she looks._

"You look very beautiful tonight," Hanson said trying not to let his nervousness get the best of him, smiling as best as he could. Assira noticeably brightened and smiled back, a true smile this time, as she grew more comfortable in Hanson's presence.

Gnarl stood on a ledge high above the two, a tube pressed to his ear, the book he carried under his cloak open, a quill in the minion master's hand. _Aha!_ He thought as he heard snatches of the conversation below. Gnarl dipped his quill in the ink and began to write whatever he heard in the tome.

By the time Grubby and two reds brought in their meal, Hanson and Assira were talking amicably to one another and laughing at some joke that Hanson had made about the nobles at King William's court. Far above, Gnarl sniggered and wrote down all he heard for the ages to come.

As Grubby served dinner, Hanson used the distraction to take another peek at the notes in his sleeves. The notes in his left sleeve had been used up, so Hanson took a peek at those in the right sleeve. The first note read: _Offer to give her a tour of the Tower._

Hanson cleared his throat, took a sip of wine out of the ornate goblet at his side and quickly said "?" "I'm sorry?" Assira said. _He behaves like I'm the first woman he's ever talked to in person. He's like a little kid when it comes to social functions,_ she thought to herself smiling fondly.

Hanson felt himself go red and mentally thanked Gnarl for only half-lighting the dining hall. He took another breath and said more slowly "would you like to take a tour of the tower with me?" "Of course," she said acting like the noble lady she was supposed to be. On the inside she was suddenly nervous again. Memories came up unbidden of her first suitor who also offered her a "tour" of his castle. Only the skills her father's weapon master taught her in secret had saved her. The suitor had tried to chase after her, but it's hard to chase someone who just reverse-kicked you in your "special place."

Brushing her concerns aside, Assira realized that if Hanson had wanted to have his way with her, he would have done so long ago instead of going to all this trouble. "Of course," she said, pushing those memories further down into the recesses of her mind. "But, wouldn't it better if we had our meal before we go wandering about?"

"Yes, that was what I had meant," Hanson said, mentally slapping himself for leaving out that important detail.

Their conversation continued until dessert, a cake made of rare fruit that the greens had "liberated" from the druids when returning to the Dark Tower. Hanson took a quick peek at the notes he hadn't yet read, and stood up, straightening his tunic. "My lady?" he said extending his scarred and calloused hand. "Would you like to begin?"

Assira nodded graciously and stood up, lithe as a panther (A/N: not the German WWII tank, as that wouldn't be very lithe), despite the meal which she had just devoured. "Of course my lord," she said. "Lead the way."

On the ledge, Gnarl nodded to himself in satisfaction. The first stage of the Overlord-Mistress relationship had gone well. _Now, the test of the First Kiss_, the minion master thought.

A short while, the romantic duo were making their way through the main hallway that led to the spawning pits. The hallway was lit with numerous torches and the walls were lined with paintings and carvings of Overlords past, depicting scenes of triumph and the destruction of their enemies.

A new painting had appeared since Hanson had last been there, depicting his father, the Old Overlord battling William the Paladin with the help of the Shadow. Hanson paused in front of the painting so suddenly that Assira slightly bumped into him. The new Overlord's face could have been made of stone as he made a fist with his right hand and pressed it against his chest where his heart was, saluting his father.

"That's your father then?" Assira asked gazing at the painting in awe. "The closest thing I've ever had to a father was ripped away from me minutes after I succeeded in the fight that made his son," Hanson said, both hands now clenched into fists at his sides. He relaxed with visible effort. "One man is responsible for this," he continued, staring at the picture form of William with hooded eyes. Assira looked into his eyes and saw the raging inferno within Hanson. She felt very small and insignificant, yet she gathered her courage and took one of Hanson's large hands in her own. "We'll bring him down together,' she said, hoping to break Hanson out of his rage-induced trance. Her touch seemed to re-awaken the man who had graciously offered her a tour of the Tower.

"I apologize for that," he said with a small smile. "I was reminded of why I strive to destroy my enemy. When I came to the Tower, I had nothing to lose, but every time I succeed, I seem to gain something that is ripped away shortly thereafter." "Well," Assira said with a smile, "I don't plan on going anywhere."

Something in Hanson's heart blossomed at those words, and he became aware of his heart pumping at the speeds a dwarf usually chugs beer. He felt flushed and scared, like the first time he saw a frostwolf in the Northlands. "I don't know what's going on with me," he said. "I first noticed it when we started talking in earnest, but now, my heart starts to beat irregularly and blood shoots through me at speeds I previously thought impossible." "It's called being in love. Didn't anyone tell you tales about knights and princesses when you were young?" Assira asked, humor shining in her green eyes.

"Well, yes, but they never mentioned what happens on the inside. They just read 'they fell in love at first sight' and that's it," Hanson said, pretending to be offended. What happened next, no amount of training could prepare him for. Assira smiled coyly and wrapped her arms around Hanson's waist and pulled him in close. Their lips met and Hanson knew at that moment that his heart couldn't stand being apart from the small figure in front of him.

Gnarl ducked back around the corner, a grin plastered on his face. He seen scenes like this so many times over the course of his long years, but every time he did, he remembered what it was like to be a young minion in the service of the First Overlord. The minion master ducked into a side passage and made his way towards the dungeons to interrogate Illyra.

Ohhhhhh snapppppp! That's the end of this chapter. Dear readers, you have NO IDEA how long I sweated over this chapter (particularly the scene at the end) it would mean a lot to me if you would review. The above was my first serious attempt at writing romance, so ANY constructive criticism would be much appreciated to help me improve! Thanks! ~RussianOverlord~

*Sweeping bow*

*Dramatic exit*

P.S. Look forward to an extra-long chapter over the weekend or on Monday. I'm certainly exited to write it! :]


	20. Chapter 20

(A/N): Here is the next chapter, as promised. Enjoy. Thanks for all the feedback guys!

Also, I will no longer reply to reviews via PM. Instead, I will write your name at the beginning of the next chapter and reply that way.

Disclaimer: My characters blablabla me. Overlord blablabla Triumph.

**Chapter XX: A walk in the woods**

The Overlord stood in the armory as browns assembled his armor around him and buckled on the Overlord's sword and sheath. At last, the minions lowered Hanson's helmet on his head and the Overlord flexed his shoulders, testing the tightness of the straps, Satisfied, he strode up the stairs, his next goal in sight.

"Morning, sire," Gnarl said with a bow. "I trust everything went well last night?" Hanson smiled under his helmet "you should know, you were there, sneaking around behind us the entire time."

Gnarl was surprised that his master could remain so attentive even in the face of certain red-headed "distractions," but gave no sign. "It was just another test sire," Gnarl said. "I have extracted sufficient information from our prisoner to pinpoint the location of the first Overlord's tomb," he said, changing the subject swiftly.

"Well then, I should get going as swiftly as possible, wouldn't want to keep the elven ambushers waiting."

"I suggest a full compliment of greens sire. Their skills are invaluable in forests," Gnarl said as the Overlord moved towards the Tower Portal. "I'll keep that in mind," the armored behemoth said as he stepped into the portal and vanished in a flash or red light.

The elves that were assigned to guard the tomb of the First Overlord snapped to attention as their new commander arrived to inspect their positions.

Vesc was young by elven standards, but was given command of an entire ranger company owing to his extraordinary tactical and strategic ability. He had received commendations from Oberon and several of the highest-ranking members of the elven court for his service in repelling brigands from Evernight's borders while being outnumbered ten to one.

Vesc kept his face expressionless as he rode in on his white stallion, a gift from King William, and observed the camp.

"Sir, we've been waiting for your arrival," a sergeant said with a salute as soon as Vesc got off of his horse. "My men are ready for inspection." Vesc smiled humorlessly "I did not come here to inspect you men sergeant, I came here to make sure that no one gets access to this tomb until we find what it is. I intend to just that."

The sergeant nodded and pulled a map of the area out of the bag around his neck. "This is our position in front of the entrance, we have set up ambushes here, here, and here," he said as he pointed to each zone. "We rotate the men on the hour so they remain fresh and alert."

Vesc looked at the map, his expression unreadable "it seems that you have done a fine job of blocking off the area, but are there any alternate ways to get to the tomb? An underground passage perhaps?"

"There is nothing on the map, but we have heard rumors of such a passage. However, all rumors say that the passage collapsed long ago and is overrun with giant spiders. It would be suicide to try to get to the tomb that way."

"Suicide indeed," Vesc agreed. "I want you to send out a squad to find where that passageway ends. I wouldn't depend entirely on nature to hold the line," he said in response to the sergeant's confusion.

In the underground passage, Hanson was shouldering fallen columns out of the way as a train of thirty greens followed behind. The Shadow granted him increased physical strength as the Overlord tapped into his dark powers. The mystical being had explained that it did not supplement his powers, only increase his access to them. The entire passageway was lit with strange crystals that seemed to be everywhere. As the Overlord pressed steadily onwards, a chamber opened up in front of him. By the light of the crystals, Hanson gazed around the chamber.

Hanson froze as he saw that every column had a spider web, complete with a fat spider, on it. The spiders were the size of the average troll, and twice as deadly as they had developed the ability to spit corrosive poison.

"Ah, the spiders your prisoner warned us about," Gnarl said. "I would suggest that you use the greens to combat them sire, as the greens are immune to all poisons. Hanson mentally laid out a plan, and then strode confidently into the chamber, sweeping his greens around one of the columns, putting them into the perfect spot for an ambush.

The spiders caught sight of Hanson and dropped to the earthy floor of the chamber and began to scuttle towards him. The Overlord smiled grimly as the spiders' advance reached the columns. They, as well as the webs that the spiders had woven, funneled the creatures into a thin gap between two columns.

As they inched forwards, the greens attacked, leaping on the spiders and delivering quick thrusts with their blades, toppling spider after spider. After a few spiders had died, the rest pulled back into the center of the chamber, clicking in frustration.

"It seems are primitive friends are smarter then I thought," Gnarl said. "I do distinctly remember something about spider webs being flammable."

The Overlord funneled power into his left arm and let out a stream of fire. The webs caught fire instantly, and the flames spread to the other webs. The spiders, caught between fire and the Overlord, charged at Hanson. The Overlord, who knew desperation when he saw it, drew his sword and motioned his minions to attack.

Hanson split the head of the first spider in half, the minions swiftly killing the rest. "Well done sire!" Gnarl exclaimed as the Overlord cleaned the gore off of his sword and placed it in the sheath on his back.

The fire had burned the spiders' webs away, leaving only their bodies as any sign that the chamber was ever a spider lair. The Overlord pressed on, cautious despite his success. _Whatever those spiders hunt must be at least as big as a man_, he thought. His concerns were proven to be unfounded as he discovered a gaping hole in the side of the next tunnel where sunlight streamed in.

"It seems as though those spiders have been quite busy hunting elves. Pity you had to kill them sire, they might have been useful," the minion master said with a hint of regret. The Overlord gave a noncommittal shrug and continued along the passageway as Gnarl gave directions.

Straleem and his rangers moved silently through the forest, on the lookout for possible entrances to the tunnel that they had been told of by Vesc.

"Sir! There," Arad, one of the junior rangers, pointed to dark spot on a hill that was almost impossible to spot because of the shrubbery that grew almost everywhere in Evernight. The rangers slowly approached the hill, indistinguishable from their surroundings because of their green cloaks, and making as much noise as the wind.

The Overlord sensed the dark nexus which he had sensed upon his arrival into Evernight getting closer. Excitement caused him to increase his pace steadily as the passage ahead of him began to brighten, even though the amount of crystals lighting the passage remained the same.

Hanson walked into the next chamber and instantly knew that he had arrived in the right place. Evil was strong here, almost as if another Overlord was here. In the center of the vast room, built in same style as the spiders' chamber, hung a suit of armor that seemed to radiate heat and malice.

The armor was jet black, except it reflected no light; rather it seemed to absorb it. It did not cover everything as Hanson's Durium armor did, but looked as if it had been built for mobility. There was no chain mail, which left gaps that had been filled with black leather. The plates of the armor were angled for maximum protection and mobility, allowing the wearer swift movement. Several of the plates, notably those on the forearms and knees, had spikes that, Hanson assumed, could be used as a nasty surprise in combat.

"It looks as though a part is missing," Gnarl said, shaking the Overlord out of his trance. "Now that I think of it, the previous Overlord did have a blade very similar to this armor in color."

"Where is it?" Hanson asked impatiently. "King William has it locked away in the Paladins' vault if my sources are correct." The Overlord exhaled slowly, controlling his rage, then strode over to the armor.

"Are you sure this is the armor of the First Overlord?" Hanson asked Gnarl. "It fits the description completely," the minion master replied. The Overlord nodded and stretched out his hand to touch the armor.

As he touched the armor, the world shimmered before his eyes and Hanson felt himself falling. The strange sensation stopped as swiftly as it had come and Hanson sat up from where he had fallen over. He reached up to grip the side of the nearest column and noticed that something felt wrong. The armor he was wearing felt much to light. The Overlord looked up where he had found the First Overlord's armor hanging, and noticed that his own hung there now.

Hanson became aware of someone watching him and swiftly stood up reaching for his sword, which he was thankful to note, still hung on his back. A ghostly figure approached him wearing the same armor the Overlord wore now.

"I assume you are the First Overlord," Hanson said. "_Yes_," the figure replied. "_Or rather, what's left of me in this world. Most of me_ _is in the Infernal Abyss, but I decided to leave a guardian for my tomb, until one worthy of wearing my armor appears. My armor has chosen you, and will grant you substantial powers once you complete it. _

"Complete it?" Hanson asked the shade. "_The sword that belongs with this armor is in the hands of your mortal enemy. Find it, and your powers will be greater than any who came before, even me. Trust the Shadow; it has your best interests at heart, if it has a heart of course. Trust Gnarl, as he is much wiser than he lets on to be, and lean on you mistress, as she isn't a pretty object to be admired, but your right hand in ruling your dominion." _

"Do all Overlords get this sentimental after they die?" Hanson asked the figure before him, slightly annoyed at being treated like a child. _"Most do. Now, one last thing. You'll notice that your new armor doesn't have a helmet. It is a failsafe in case someone other than a worthy heir claims the armor." _

Hanson nodded, waiting for the shade to make his point. The First Overlord removed his helmet, a simple and efficient design, Hanson noted, just like the armor. The helmet seemed to peel off the ghostly layers and become substantial in the shade's hands. The first Overlord handed a shocked Hanson the helmet and smiled grimly as the young man noticed the striking similarities between them.

In fact, the shade's face was identical to Hanson's. Both had sharp cheekbones and short black hair. Their eyes were grey with hints of green, and radiated focused heat. "_History repeats itself quite often,_" the shade said. "_I'm sure we'll speak in the Infernal Abyss in time."_ With that, the shade disappeared, leaving Hanson and his greens alone.

The Overlord slipped the new helmet on and Gnarl's voice reached him at once. "There you are sire! We were worried that we had lost you." "We?" Hanson inquired, still attentive, despite the strange occurrences that had happened a few seconds ago. "Your young friend has decided to join us." "Hello Hanson," Assira's cheery voice emanated through the Overlord's helmet. He smiled to himself and prepared to leave.

"Halt stranger!" Hanson turned to face the voice, and found himself faced with a dozen elven rangers in a semicircle, bows drawn and ready. The one who had hailed the Overlord said "you are not allowed in here without permission from King Oberon human. Now we will have to search and imprison you until the King gives you permission to leave.

The Overlord's eyes flashed a dangerous red within his helmet. "Do you presume to stop me from leaving?" "We will detain you until the King sees fit to release you."

"I think your new armor needs a test run sire," Gnarl said with a dark snigger. "It appears these elves have volunteered to be its first victims."

Assira sat next to Gnarl in the Throne Room looking into the Tower Portal. The waters showed Hanson and his minions being confronted by elves. Then, the Overlord drew his word and slid forward, dodging all twelve arrows. Before the elves had time to react, Hanson had reduced four to corpses in various states of dismemberment. The rest were set upon by greens and swiftly killed.

"It looks like someone found the spider tunnel," Gnarl said. I recommend you use the front door sire."

(A/N): Well… I think I'm out of witty comments for now. I tried to employ all the criticism I received to improve this story. Review please. ~RussianOverlord~


	21. Chapter 21

/N): I apologize for the long delay. I've been extremely busy all last week. I planned on making this upload longer, but I decided to upload this chunk to let you guys know that I'm here. More uploads are on their way.

YuyaYunka and Lordriochi: Welcome to my corner of Fanfiction. Thanks for subbing!

General Herbison: Even though he is basically unstoppable (for now) Hanson will get injured at some point. How else am I supposed to continue the romantic subplot?

xtenchix: Nice name, and the elves in Overlord II were hippies, because all the ones that could fight were killed by the dwarves in Overlord: Dark Legend.

Disclaimer: My characters belong to me. The Overlord series belongs to its rightful owners.

**Chapter XXI: Intermission**

Vesc paced the interior of his command tent, hands clasped behind his back as he waited for the scouts to return. "Something's wrong, they've been gone far too long," he said, turning to face the sergeant who stood by the tent flap, causally leaning on the poles. "They're very good at their job sir. They'll be fine."

The new-and-improved Overlord confidently moved through the front entrance of the tomb, knowing that he would catch the elves guarding the entrance by surprise. Hanson was not mistaken.

Two elves leaned against the pillars that framed the entrance, one looking bored, the other nodding off. The Overlord slowly sheathed his sword and stepped forward, grabbing both elves' necks with his metal-clad forearms and crushing their windpipes in an instant.

"It seems that this armor is made of Black Arcanium, a metal forged from its refined variant and crystallized Evil energy. Quite rare, quite expensive and time consuming to make; no wonder the First Overlord never made it a full suit of armor," Gnarl mused. "Would it be possible to finish it?" Assira asked as she looked into the Tower Portal, riveted to the spectacle unfolding in Evernight.

"Theoretically, yes, but from what the spies we have planted in King William's court tell me, the Paladins have control of the Arcanium mines and are busy arming themselves with that magical metal in hopes of purifying it and turning it to the light through their pathetic magic. The fools…they have no inkling of the true nature of Arcanium." "So if we were to remove said paladins…" Assira began. "All in time my dear. First our Master must gain access to King William's court by winning the tournament the paladin has decided to hold."

Hanson listened the conversation that echoed in his helmet as he moved out of the tomb as quietly as he could.

"What tournament?" he asked as he grabbed another unfortunate elf and broke his spine. "A letter has arrived from his pompous majesty sire, requesting that you attend the tournament he his holding in Princess Elizabeth's name. The winner will get court said maiden for a chance to become the next king."

"I can't help but notice you said 'court the princess,'" Assira said, her voice losing its usual warmth and gaining an icy edge. Gnarl grinned evilly to himself as Hanson's voice drifted from the Tower Portal. "I have no intention of becoming king of that realm. I intend to burn it to the ground, along with its people." The young woman relaxed slightly, but still looked doubtful.

Night had fallen in Evernight, which shielded the Overlord from the sight of the elves that patrolled the perimeter. Hanson was bored of waiting, but understood the necessity of sitting and waiting until the relief watch came to the tomb.

Soon, the Overlord heard voices approaching his hiding spot near one of the ruined pillars and he tensed in readiness. The footsteps stopped and Hanson heard gasps as the elves discovered the bodies of their comrades. The rangers reached for their horns, but were stopped as greens leaped onto them from all directions, slitting their throats swiftly and quietly.

The Overlord slowly let out a breath that he had been holding and slowly walked to a vantage point near the column behind which he was hiding. The stairs led down from the tomb directly into the middle of the elven camp which took most of the space in front of the tomb.

"It seems they don't want anyone going inside," Gnarl said with a snigger. "Regardless, I can't through the tunnel again. Their commander probably has it under guard," The Overlord said.

Hanson sank into a crouch and balanced of the balls of his feet, leather creaking. The moon came out from the clouds, lighting the tomb in its ghostly white light. "Sometimes, the direct approach is best," the Overlord muttered to himself.

He slowly drew his sword and beckoned for his greens to follow. The small army stealthily moved down the steps towards the elven camp, miraculously not attracting any attention. The elven sentries were more intent on what could be coming from the front rather than the back.

The greens split up into six groups of five and moved towards the main entrance to the camp. Hanson followed behind, all attention on simultaneously controlling six groups of minions. Sweat appeared on his temples as he divided his attention between walking and controlling.

Suddenly, he was falling. One of his armored boots had gotten caught in a coil of rope and tripped him. The noise was more than enough for every elf in the camp to notice the intruders. The greens did what they could, but weren't as good at direct combat as browns.

Elven bows sang and more and more greens turned into pincushions. Hanson hewed and the rope in fury until it gave way and he was free. He ran, calling his minions to him, towards the waypoint gate, fully aware of the elves chasing him.

The Overlord emerged from the Tower Portal and sat down on the edge of the basin, pulling off his helmet with a sigh. "How are you sire?" Gnarl asked. "Did you get hit by elven arrows? I hate to praise those tree huggers, but they are fine shots.

"I am uninjured Gnarl, just tired. I think that was the first time I expended so much power on such a level, and I'm very tired," Hanson replied with a yawn. "I need to sleep."

"Perhaps a bath first sire?" Gnarl said. "I have certain herbs that would help you recover your strength faster." "Very well," Hanson said as he stood up, armor clanging and leather creaking.

The Overlord moved towards the stairs to his private quarters, walking like a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Assira moved to his side and steadied him, helping Hanson move up the stairs. Gnarl summoned a quartet of reds to heat a bath full of water.

"_It's been a long time Gnarl,"_ a ghostly voice echoed through the Throne Room. "Sire," Gnarl said. "Almost four thousand years." _"It seems like yesterday that you were a newborn brown, fighting at my side, wearing a pumpkin as a hat…" _Gnarl allowed himself a smile as he remembered events that even history books had long since forgotten. _"Do you still have the book I gave you?"_ the ghost of the First Overlord asked. "I've kept it hidden and safe all these years. All of the knowledge the Overlords have amassed is in there."

"_He'll need it if he's planning on destroying the paladins." _"Don't worry sire, I've got it all planed out."

(A/N): Review please, and await the next chapter, which should be coming soon unless unforeseen circumstances arise. ~RussianOverlord~


	22. Chapter 22

Before we begin, I have a shout out for my British readers (if any). I am currently reading The Canterbury Tales and enjoying it quite a bit. Kudos to Chaucer for being the King of Sarcasm, we will all remember you and carry on your noble art.

(A/N): Here's part 2 of the "Letting you know I'm alive" chunk. Enjoy!

General Herbison: Gnarl is cooking up a plan (of Doom) and a herbal remedy.

YuyaYunka: Don't be afraid to review. I don't bite. I'm glad that I made your day, and very glad that you are hopelessly addicted to my story (muahaha). :]

xtenchix: How funny (and annoying) would it be if I never finished the armor and left you guys hanging? Maybe if I was a troll. Luckily, I'm not.

Disclaimer: I own my characters, but not Overlord.

**Chapter XXII: The Plot of Evil begins to unfold**

Hanson sank into the bath eight reds brought up with a sigh as the water relaxed his muscles. Whatever Gnarl had added to the water had turned it a deep sea green with the scent of sea salt, which helped the Overlord relax further.

By the time Hanson got out of his bath, he felt fully refreshed and ready to take on the world. He toweled off and dressed in the red tunic and pants that had been laid out for him.

Grubby was waiting in the main hall of the private quarters with a plate of food that contained a slice of roast beef and potatoes with peas. The food had been freshly delivered from Spree as part of the tax the Overlord had placed on the village for protecting them from roving bands of brigands and robbers.

Hanson read the letter that had arrived from King William as he ate the cogs in his mind turning as the Overlord planned how he was going to fight in the tournament.

"Sire, I am assuming that you are planning on winning this tournament decisively, and so I have come up with a plan," Gnarl began as he approached Hanson's table. "I have several poisons in my possession that can cause anything from mild indigestion to nearly instant death. It would be quite easy for me to sneak into the tents of any opposing champions that pose a threat to your magnificence and 'damage' them."

"That would be quite beneficial," Hanson said. "It would help thin out the crowd a little bit." "I'm glad you approve sire, but this plan does require me to come with you to the tournament. I will, of course, disguise myself, but your young lady will have to stay here and watch over you from the Tower Portal."

"I'm glad I decided to eavesdrop then," Assira said emerging from the shadows as smoothly as the thief that she was. "I'll do it, but only if you ask me nicely."

"Excellent," Gnarl said. "Now that's that has been decided, may I suggest that we plan how and when our master shall arrive to the tournament?"

William walked around the interior of the field of the massive amphitheater, making sure the planks were secured properly. The seats had been created out of logs, but were still comfortable, despite being made out of hardwood. The boxes for the nobility had been outfitted with comfortable seating and massive awnings to keep out the elements. Servants had set up direct passageways to the kitchens below in order to bring food up faster. Merchants hired peasant boys to walk around the amphitheater selling all kinds of food to hungry spectators.

"Sire, most of the champions have arrived," a page said with a bow. "We are just missing Sir Ryrin and a few others. How should we proceed?" "We must wait for them to arrive. I'm confident that Sir Ryrin will be here."

The Overlord stepped of the tower gate in full raiment, his Black Arcanium armor glistening in the sun. Mentally, he ran over the spell that would shield him from the Paladin's notice, making sure his power did not alert any of them, especially the king. Gnarl stood by Hanson, disguised as a dwarf. He had applied a long bushy white beard to his face and kept the hood of his newly-acquired robes up as far as possible.

Back at the Tower, Assira sat down in a comfortable armchair that the brown had brought up for her. She touched the murky waters of the Tower Portal, just as gnarl had instructed, and the ripples brought the world into focus. She could see everything that Hanson could see.

"Can you hear me?" she asked the water. "Yes I can. Gnarl, we're ready," Hanson's voice came drifting out of the Portal. The Overlord mounted a charger that had been provided for him and rode up the main road. Soon, the amphitheater came into view and Hanson turned towards it.

Gnarl smiled his nostalgic smile and began to plod towards the amphitheater. The details of his devious plan circled in Gnarl's mind and the minion master grinned evilly to himself.

Hanson rode in through the main gate of the amphitheater and dismounted. He threw the reigns to a squire and handed his letter of invitation to the captain of the guard.

William ascended to the judges' stand and prepared to address the assembled champions. "Now that almost of us are here, I can explain the rules. The winner of this tournament will be decided through the melee, not single combat. Only a man strong enough to best all who stand before him is worthy of courting my daughter."

Hanson smiled wolfishly to himself, glad for the anonymity of his helmet. _Just so you know, I can communicate through thoughts as well,_" he thought. Assira was slightly unnerved by the ghostly voice that drifted through the Throne Room, but decided to accept as another Overlord trick.

Many of the assembled champions roared their approval at William's words, some shouting that they would definitely be the ones to win, so everyone else might as well clear out now.

Hanson laughed inwardly and thought _"this king is not a fool. He is appealing to their egos, hoping to set the champions against one another before the tournament begins…But why?"_

Gnarl slipped through the main gate with hardly any difficulty, distracting the guards with a few magical coins that would disappear in a few hours, much to the wroth of their current owners.

"If there is any fighting outside the ring, the entire tournament will be called off," the paladin king continued. I want you all to be on your best behavior for the duration of the tournament."

"_The plot thickens,"_ Hanson thought. "_So now I have to fight them and keep them under control at the same time. Unfortunately for you, your Majesty, I'm up to the task."_

Gnarl listened from a shady spot near the wall of the amphitheater and sniggered to himself. "_Just like a paladin to overcomplicate things. Oh well, I should have enough sleeping draughts to knock out half the city for a day."_

"Well that's hardly fair," Assira complained as she listened to William. Hanson slightly jumped, still not used to hearing her voice instead of Gnarl's. Hearing her voice so close sent slight tremors through the Overlords flesh.

Hanson forcibly shook himself out of his trance and listened to William once more. "Food and drink will be provided, as much as you could possibly want. I have called many minstrels and traveling actors here to entertain you. Sirs and Lords, I wish you luck, and I will see you tomorrow for the first round of melee."

The crowd began to disperse and the Overlord turned to leave when he noticed that the captain of the guard was in a whispered conversation with William.

"Sir Ryrin!" William's voice rang across the field. The Overlord turned to face the king and bowed. "What can I do for you sire?" "I would like to see you back at the palace as soon as possible." Hanson bowed once more and proceeded towards the entrance of the arena.

"I wonder if the princess is anxious to see you," Assira said sarcastically. "She must have missed you so much, the mysterious man she never actually met." Hanson smiled and kept walking towards the stables well aware of the glances the other champions were giving him. It wasn't every day that you saw Black Arcanium, not that any of those looking had the brainpower to recognize it.

Hanson re-mounted and rode his charger to the steps of the Royal Palace. When he dismounted, he was rushed through the palace straight to the Inner Sanctum.

"Sir Ryrin," William said as soon as Hanson entered. "Please, have a seat." The Overlord obliged, and took off his helmet, placing it on his lap. "I see you have acquired new armor," the king said, looking up from a piece of parchment he was reading. "I must commend you on the stellar service you have performed, clearing the village Spree of those looters. The Light approves. I have spoken to my council, and we all agree that you should be granted a castle and land in my kingdom."

Hanson said nothing, just raised one eyebrow. "What will become of Spree if I am granted lordship over another plot of land?" he said.

"You don't understand. We mean to grant you lordship over Spree."

Gnarl moved about the forest of tents pitched in the fields surrounding the stadium. The minion master mentally marked all competitors that would be a possible threat to his master. To his left, a portly knight was yelling at his followers to raise the tent higher than those of his competitors. "_Looks like William's plan is working all too well. It won't be long now before a fight breaks out. Time to go find the potential troublemakers."_ The minion master thought.

The Overlord kept his features perfectly controlled as he answered the king. "This is a great honor your majesty. Should it not be bestowed upon someone more worthy than I?" "Quit pretending to be humble and accept before he reconsiders," Assira said impatiently.

"We have agreed that there is no one more deserving than you. Accept your lordship as payment for your honorable service." "In that case Your Majesty, I accept," Hanson said. He got out of his chair and bowed low.

"Rise, Lord Ryrin," William said with a smile. "Welcome to the Brotherhood of Light." "_This is too perfect,"_ Hanson thought. _"I'm getting closer and closer to you. On the day you need me the most, you'll find my blade in your heart."_

(A/N): Here's another one. Review if you enjoyed it, and if you didn't, leave constructive criticism to help me improve. ~RussianOverlord~


	23. Chapter 23

xtenchix: I don't plan on trolling anyone. :]

General Herbison: You'll see. :]

YuyaYunka: This basically a mini-essay to respond to you.

1. Gnarl will take out _some_ threats, not all. It wouldn't be entertaining if it was too easy.

2. Assira can hear the Overlord the same way Gnarl can: via Tower Portal.

3. Pedophilia? In an Overlord fic? That's a little much in my opinion. Overlord is rated T after all and is meant to make fun of fair tales/fantasy/etc. The fights I plan on improving (Check out the one in this chapter). Also, is that particular R-rated fic the Minion Mistress one?

4. Gnarl is an extremely hideous dwarf, hence the hood and the extra-bushy beard. :]

AirGearisthewayoflife: Thanks for the fave! I hope you enjoy my particular brand of storytelling.

(A/N): Hello there! I'm terribly sorry for not updating earlier, but I was sick (still am) and my ability to write has been severely impeded. Enjoy this new extra-long chapter that I wrote just because I love you guys!

Disclaimer: I own my characters, not the Overlord series.

**Chapter XXIII: Sabotage and open warfare **

Gnarl stealthily slid inside the tent of a knight called Mumbol. He was a portly fellow with greasy hair and an ego three times his height. He was short, but brutishly strong and faster than he looked. _"Definitely a problem," _Gnarl thought and unscrewed the lid on one of his severe indigestion draughts. Half a cup was more than enough to keep the knight in the privy for at least a week, and Gnarl almost started to laugh as he remembered times long past, out in the field. "_How nice it is to be out and about again. So much evil to cause, so little time."_

Hanson stood and clasped William's hand in congratulation. The Overlord seriously considered killing the paladin right then and there, but his training had taught him to be aware of his surroundings at all times, and he noticed paladins hiding in near some of the pillars in full armor, as if ready for a fight.

The Overlord released William's hand and moved back a few steps. The paladins relaxed their grips on the multitude of weapons they possessed. "May I return to the amphitheater Your Majesty? I need to prepare myself for tomorrow's battle." "Of course. I wish you luck."

"Why do I get the feeling he suspects who you are?" Assira said. "He's a little too polite and he clearly doesn't trust you, I know enough about politics and the Royal court to know that you should start expecting a knife to the back any day now."

"I'll keep that in mind," Hanson said as he descended the palace steps and replaced his helmet. By the time the Overlord arrived to the amphitheater, a score of browns disguised as servants had set up a tent for him and stood guard. Hanson slipped inside to find Gnarl sitting on one of the chairs, looking pleased about something.

"All the possible threats to your evil majesty have been drugged. I don't envy them when they awake. Some won't be able to walk for weeks; others will be in the privy for the foreseeable future. I hope that these developments will make your victory assured. Just make sure not to eat any of the food served at dinner." Gnarl leaned back and cackled quietly. "I haven't been this satisfied in a long time. I think I'll stick around and watch the fight. It should certainly be amusing."

The Overlord took off his helmet and sat in a chair facing Gnarl's. "I've never seen a dwarf as ugly as you," he said. "Good thing you wore a hood, because the mere sight of you would have caused most of the knights to faint." Gnarl smiled from beneath his thick fake beard and slid of the chair. He walked towards a fat leather armchair with the help of several minions, moved it to the side. Beneath lay the familiar design of a waypoint gate.

"I thought it would be convenient to have easy access to the Tower whenever you wanted Sire. If you so desire, you can travel to the Tower now. The browns will guard the tent and turn away all potential visitors.

Hanson nodded and stepped on the glowing plate, vanishing from the tent. The Overlord stepped out of the pool of water that was the Tower Portal, completely dry as usual. "Welcome back," Assira said. She yawned and stretched to her full height. "Watching is always a lot more boring than actually being in the thick of it all. I wonder how Gnarl deals with it."

Gnarl appeared seconds later and ripped off his fake beard. "Now that we are in private, what happened with William?" Hanson told the minion master everything that happened in his private meeting, Assira throwing the odd word or two.

Gnarl paced the floor, drawing a circle around the duo, sunk deep in thought. "I agree with your young lady," he said at last. "Assira raised her eyebrows, but said nothing. "William probably knows, or at the very least suspects your past. Nevertheless, you must be at the tournament sire, or you will be taken for a weakling."

"Do try to take care of yourself sire; I'd hate to have to sweep your remains off of the arena." Hanson took a deep breath and got ready to leave. Before he could go, Assira hugged him fiercely. "Take care of yourself Hanson. I'll never forgive you if you die." Hanson hugged back, trying to not impale her slim frame with the multitude of spikes adorning his armor. "I won't."

The Overlord replaced his helmet and vanished into the Tower Portal. "He'll be fine," Gnarl said. "He's a survivor, that one, and probably the best Overlord in the entire four-thousand- year history of the title."

"That may be, but he's just so dense sometimes. Has he never been with a woman before?" Assira asked. "That honor will be all yours, if you so choose," Gnarl replied, his face completely devoid of emotion.

The young woman blushed and decided to take an interest in the designs on the wall. Gnarl grinned as soon as her back was turned and then gritted his teeth as laughter threatened to break through.

The Capital City was in an uproar at the tournament. Townsfolk and nobles alike streamed towards the arena to take their seats. William declared that admission would be free, so that all could come and watch, from the poorest beggar to the richest lord.

Elizabeth took her seat in the Royal box and swept the train of her dress over her legs so that it didn't trail on the ground.

"You look lovely Elizabeth," William said as he entered the box. His followers swiftly agreed with the Paladin. Elizabeth had selected a white gown embroidered with golden weave and wore a silver circlet on her head. She let her golden hair tumble down to her shoulders and absentmindedly tucked a stray lock behind her ear now and again.

The first group of champions entered the arena and saluted the King, the Princess, and then the crowd before taking their starting positions, weapons drawn. Several paladins had dulled the weapons of all present for safety, but knew that there would be bloodbath regardless.

The Overlord flexed his arms and stretched luxuriously before drawing his sword and taking a few experimental swings. Satisfied, he scanned his opponents. For the most part, they were complete pushovers, but there were a few that looked like they had been in a few battles before.

"The rules have not changed," William announced. "The fighting will continue until there is one champion left. All others must either yield, or too injured to carry on."

The crowd cheered, ready for a bit of bloodshed. William raised his hand, and then dropped it. "Begin!"

Amid the cheers of the crowd, the champions fell into fighting crouches and sized up their potential opponents. Then, as one, the ring of clashing swords was heard across the arena. Hanson easily dispatched his first opponent, some sixteen-year-old who dropped his sword on the first pass and yielded after a slap from the flat of the Overlord's blade.

Hanson shook his head and moved on. After the first few minutes, all of the inexperienced young men had been soundly beaten, leaving only a few battle-hardened knights and the Overlord.

All eight of them paced the sandy floor of the arena, some parts already stained with blood. In one movement, the battle continued, and the clanging of metal against metal resumed.

Gnarl and Assira watched the melee unfold in the depths of the Tower Portal, Gnarl watching with glee (not that disgusting show ) as the Overlord beat opponent after opponent while Assira sat tight-lipped, her hands clenched in her lap.

"Don't worry my Lady; I hired one of the best swordsmen in the history of the world to train Hanson during the five years that we were in hiding." "What happened to him?" Assira asked. "Hanson bested him and killed him. It was my final lesson to him, as well as the sword master's."

"What lesson might that be?" Assira queried. "Leave no trace or evidence that could lead your enemies to you." Gnarl replied.

The Overlord blocked a savage hit from his opponent and struck back, feeling the desperation in the knight's attacks. He began an overhead swing, but instead swung horizontally, catching his opponent in the side. The blow was strong enough to knock the other knight to the ground, his armor split open by the force.

"I yield!" He gasped out as clerics rushed to carry him out of the arena. Hanson looked towards the other duel, where two men were savagely beating one another until one claimed victory with a vicious right hook with his armored hand.

The Overlord nodded in acknowledgment of his new opponent's skill and took an offensive stance, ready to spring forward and attack. Hanson's opponent picked up his huge broadsword in one hand and readied himself. The two combatants circled one another like wolves in the wild, locked in a contest of wills.

The Overlord launched his attack as swiftly as a hawk. One instant he was circling his much larger opponent, the next flying at him. The other knight managed to raise his sword just in time to block the savage blow, but the impact jarred his arm and numbed it.

Hanson smiled savagely as he moved back. His opponent switched sword arms and resumed pacing. The Overlord swung in a rapid flurry, his arms and blade a blur as the multitude of blows rained on the knight's defenses. The big man ducked his head as Hanson's blade cut across where his head was moments ago.

The Overlord backed off, realizing that his opponent intended for Hanson to tire himself out before ending the battle in one final strike. Under his helmet, the Overlord smiled as he prepared himself for another attack. _"One more flurry and he should fall for it,"_ he thought.

Hanson struck out once more, redoubling his efforts and putting up quite the display. His sword danced around the opposing knight, seeking gaps in his defenses. The Overlord felt his blade strike the knight a few times, but his opponent seemed to take no notice.

Hanson moved back, pretending to pant heavily. The big man took the bait, raising his sword in both hands and beginning his attack. The Overlord staggered backwards, his laughter inaudible over the clang of metal against metal. _"Now, I just have to let him hit me, and this duel is over,"_ Hanson thought.

He began to counterattack, faking desperation. The big knight stood his ground, warding off the Overlord's blows. Hanson shifted his sword just enough to let his opponent see the gap in the Overlord's defenses, praying that the knight took the bait.

The big man struck out with his broadsword and its weight slammed into Hanson's right bicep. The Overlord rolled with the blow to minimize the damage, but knew that the damage was substantial. He heard the crowd groaning, but his adrenaline influenced brain paid little heed.

The Overlord ignored his almost useless right arm and pushed himself up with his left. He grabbed his sword one handed and faced his opponent. For his part, the other knight seemed shocked that Hanson still stood, but readied himself for the Overlord's new offensive.

The big man figured that he could hold off his opponent much more easily now that his right arm was useless, but Hanson had other plans. He took a deep breath and charged forward. As the knight shifted his defenses, the Overlord slid forward and attacked from below. As his opponent shifted again, Hanson leapt to his feet and swung a savage blow right at the knight's armored head.

As the Overlord predicted, the big man's sword came up to block the blow. Then, the young Overlord reversed the direction of his blade and brought it down on the knight's outstretched leg. There was the audible crack of bone and a muffled grunt from Hanson's opponent. _"Time for a bit of theatrics," _the Overlord thought.

He tossed his sword up, caught it with his right hand and smashed it full force into the knight's helmet. The big man was lifted off of his feet and sent tumbling head-over-heels. Blood stained the sand and clerics ran to help the fallen knight.

The stadium erupted in applause at Hanson's spectacular victory. The Overlord knew that he had completely broken his arm and dislocated his right shoulder with the last blow but didn't care.

"Well done Lord Ryrin!" William announced. "You have won your right to court my daughter. I wish you well. You may depart to treat whatever injuries I'm sure you have." Hanson bowed and walked out of the arena.

Elizabeth was ecstatic at her favorite champion's victory. She smiled to herself fondly as her eyes followed the metal-clad figure out of the arena. William frowned, but said nothing, letting his daughter enjoy the moment.

As soon as the Overlord entered his tent, he activated the waypoint gate and teleported to the Tower. The young Overlord staggered out of the pool and nearly fell as he reached the top of the stairs. A quartet of browns helped him to his throne while Gnarl and Assira hovered nearby.

Gnarl gingerly removed the Overlord's right shoulder pauldron to look at the damage inside. Assira gasped, horrified as she saw the extent of Hanson's injuries. She took of the Overlord's helmet and placed it on the floor. The young man looked up at her, grimacing in pain. "I told you I wouldn't die," he whispered. Blood flowed out of his mouth, staining his interlocking chest plates.

Assira said nothing, just grabbed his left hand and massaged it. "Everything is going to be all right she murmured, more to herself than to the injured man in front of her. "Everything _is_ going to be alright," Gnarl said. "The Tower Heart takes care of its own."

Before Assira's horrified eyes, Hanson's bones reformed, his shoulder slid into its joint with a wet _shhplt, _and the flesh surrounding the wound closed, hiding the gruesome sight. Gnarl chuckled to himself as he ordered several browns to carry Hanson upstairs. "He'll be just fine after a night's rest."

(A/N): Review if you enjoyed, and if you didn't, please provide constructive criticism to help me improve. ~RussianOverlord~


	24. Chapter 24

Happy 2012 guys and gals! I am back, despite having spent the winter holidays sick with a cough and fever. I apologize for the excessive amount of time it took to get this chapter out, but I just wasn't satisfied with this one, so I re-wrote it at least five times. Enjoy. :]

P.S. A box of virtual cookies to those who guess who the mystery character is.

Steve: In terms of details from the game, the plotline is completely mine while some enemies/ locations are from Overlord, considering this is a prequel. I plan to end this the way Overlord began.

Well, you wanted Assira out and about, so this next series of chapters is for you my friend.

YuyaYunka: I never even noticed how similar Assira was to Kelda. I guess it's an animal thing. ;] As for Elizabeth, I plan to flesh out her character more, so she's more that just a robot.

xtenchix: I could have used some, but now I'm fine and I plan to continue my timetable. :]

Overkhryak: If I become as good a writer as GRRM of JRRT, you'll be the first to know. But, I will work on painting scenes more.

Spitting Faerie: They're coming. No need to rush them.

**Disclaimer: Do I even have to say this any more?**

**Chapter XXIV: Long-awaited background information**

Hanson slept soundly for most of the next day. Assira hovered around his bedside, watching over his resting form. Gnarl meanwhile was busy carrying out his master's orders. There were preparations to be done.

Around midday Gnarl ascended the stone steps to the Overlord's private quarters. The sunlight reflected off of the blue glass panes, creating an atmosphere of calm. In fact, the panes were magically imbued to change colors according to the Overlord's current mood. Gnarl padded towards Hanson's bedchamber, quickly going over his master's plan in his mind to make sure all the necessary arrangements were made.

Assira was sitting in one of the cozy red armchairs, reading _The History of Evil _when Gnarl entered and cleared his throat.

"Mistress, the Overlord has a rather special assignment in mind for you, one that embraces your unique…talents." Assira raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Gnarl stretched the sealed parchment to the young woman and then retreated slightly and waited.

Assira opened the scroll and began to read, her mind whirling as she took in all the information written before her eyes.

_If you're reading this, I'm most likely incapacitated or otherwise engaged and thus unable to speak to you in person. I have a special task, one vital to my plan that requires the hand of a master thief to reach completion. I trust that you are up to the task._

_Good luck, be safe,_

_Hanson_

The rest of the parchment contained a detailed map of the Royal treasury of King William as well as her objective: the sword of the First Overlord. Assira felt a tremor up her spine as she read the map over and over again.

"Ignoring the blatant irony, this is quite the challenge," she said at last. "I have never attempted anything of this…magnitude." "Do not worry. All the necessary arrangements have been made for you to succeed," the minion master assured. "I have provided transportation and equipment as well as a few contracted…professionals to get you inside. If you accomplish this, my assumption would be that your position within our…family will be quite secure. The decision, however, rests entirely with you."

"So you're giving me a choice, but in reality none at all," Assira said, eyebrow raised, arms crossed on her chest. "Precisely," Gnarl said with a grin. "I'll go pack my things then. Who knows what I'll need to pull this off."

Assira packed light, only taking her "breaking and entering" equipment and some clothing to blend into the general populace. She was prepared to leave when Gnarl appeared with a few browns that were carrying a package of some sort.

"A gift from our master for you," the minion master said, answering the unvoiced question. The browns removed the top of the package to reveal a suit of black leather armor that seemed darker than the deepest darkness.

"A special set of armor to help you in your undertaking. It has been enchanted to hide you almost in plain sight, which should make dealing with the guards very easy."

Assira lifted the offered suit, feeling the weight. "It's incredibly light," she said at last. "The elves are known for making very light armor, so we _borrowed_ their designs," Gnarl said at last, as the woman looked over the armor critically. "Thank you," she said at last. "This is much better than anything I could scrounge up." "Always a pleasure to serve the Overlord's mistress," the minion master said with a bow.

Assira climbed onto the waiting carriage and braced herself for the long journey to the Capital City. The carriage driver kept to himself, wrapped in a dark cloak. In fact, the only distinctive feature Assira could spot was that he wore a glove on his right hand, but not his left. As the trackless miles went on, the woman began to slip into her memories. Images of her childhood came up unbidden as she remembered life at Castle Alveren.

Her father was a cold and distant man who preferred to lavish his attention on his firstborn son and saw his only daughter as a tool for securing the family's political position. It was a particularly cold year when Assira had turned fourteen and her father began to summon suitors to further his own marriage goals.

The then young girl had resisted as much as she could, but it was a losing battle. One night, she had had a particularly fierce argument with her father.

_"You'll marry whoever I pick for you," _he had said. _"You're just like your mother: uncontrollable, rebellious, and an embarrassment to her family." _Assira hardly remembered her mother. The servants, known to talk, whispered of rumors that Lord Alveren had killed his wife, but never dared to say anything.

The woman remembered rushing off to her room in tears, vowing to leave and never return. As luck would have it, a thief had decided to pay Lord Alveren a visit that night and relieve him of several valuable items.

As if to prove that luck was on her side, the thief had decided to enter the keep through Assira's window. She was lying on her bed, sobbing quietly when she thought she heard a latch creak. Assira had looked up to find herself staring at the open window. _"Now why would the daughter of a wealthy lord be crying?" _a gravelly voice had asked._ "You have wealth, power, and yet none of those things matter if you don't have the freedom to exercise them." _

_"Are you a thief?" _she had asked, her sobs finally having run out. _"Yes. Does that frighten you?" _the voice asked from the shadows. _"No,"_ she had said. _I've never really been frightened of anything. Could you please take me with you? I can't stand living here anymore," _she pleaded the stranger._ "Interesting, I've never seen a member of nobility so eager to leave their comforts behind. Under the circumstances however, I think we can arrange a deal. If you help me steal a certain item in your father's possession, I'll help you with your freedom."_

"We'll be there in a few hours," the carriage driver shouted over the whirling snows, shaking Assira out of her memories. Shadefire pass was infamous for its sudden and devastating snowstorms, despite the paladins' best attempts to expel the evil spirits that dwelt there.

The paladins had eventually decided that the pass made a good location for new paladins to pass their trials and built an outpost on top of the mountain that overlooked the pass. Assira smiled to herself, imagining what Gnarl would say about the paladins' lack of effort.

_Assira followed the thief through the dark halls of her home. She did her best to stick to the shadows, but she was nowhere near the skills that the thief displayed. He seemed like an extension of the shadows themselves as he moved silently towards the castle treasury. The guards were nowhere to be found, but Assira guessed that the shadowy figure was somehow responsible. The moonlight filtered through the windows, casting its pale rays onto the floor._

"_Here we are," the thief said. "Time for your part of the deal." Assira removed the key that hung around her neck and inserted it into the keyhole. The thief thrust a set of picks into the other lock and fiddled around for a bit before making eye contact with the young girl for the first time. She shivered slightly. Something was wrong, out of place with this man._

"_On three. One…two…three." The unlikely duo turned opened the locks and watched as the vault door slowly eased open. The thief sighed in satisfaction and peered into the gloom. "There you are, you beautiful piece of treasure." "How can you see so well in the dark?" Assira asked as she tried to see what the thief was talking about. "I have my secrets," he replied. _

_The thief reached into the vault and pulled out a single, small object in a leather bag. Assira moved in front of him to peer into the vault, and then all went black._

"Milady, we've almost arrived at the Capital City, we should be there by evening," the driver shouted over his shoulder as he steered the carriage down a hill.

_Assira woke up in a cozy room in some inn. The only light in the room came from several candles placed on the rickety tables and the fireplace along one of the walls of the room. The girl looked around, finally realizing she was lying on the bed. She sat up and instantly regretted it as her head began to throb painfully. Despite the pain, Assira stood up and began to walk around the room. It was furnished with two wooden tables and four chairs, simple, yet comfortable. The young girl walked into the next room to find a small armory scattered about. There was an archery target standing in the middle of the room and all kinds of equipment was scattered on the tables._

_Assira decided that touching could potentially be hazardous and backed out of the room. In the main room, she discovered that her anonymous benefactor had brought many of her possessions._

_"My apologies for knocking you out, but it was necessary. I couldn't have you giving away my location in case of a sudden change of heart, as well as anonymity being an effective form of security." The thief was sitting on the windowsill, a sack over his shoulder. "Here, this should help with headache." He handed Assira a steaming mug of some sweet-smelling liquid. She took a sip, and could feel the pain in her head begin to vanish. "Thank you…For getting me out of there," "Not a problem, I am a man of my word after all. If I may ask, why did you leave?" "My father wanted to use me as a political pawn to increase my family's standing, but I have no desire to be married off to some old lord. My one desire is freedom."_

_The thief smiled under his hood and slipped from the windowsill to the floor without a sound. "If its freedom you're after, the life of a thief is simple, yet rewarding. It is a dangerous occupation, without a doubt, but you are free to spend your ill-earned coin in any way you please." "Sounds like something I could get into," Assira said. _

_"You've got the build of a thief too," her companion said, looking her up and down. Slight and speedy, perfect for quick getaways, hiding in the shadows, or dagger work." The thief nodded to himself. "What do you say lass? Is it truly your wish to become one with the shadows and relieve the complacent rich of their valuables?"_

_Assira didn't hesitate. She nodded, looking him right in the eyes. Her green met one blue and one green. She suppressed a shiver at the sight of the thief's right eye. It was green, but something about was simply…unnatural. _

_"I said being a thief was dangerous, didn't I?" he said as he took off his cloak and hung it on a peg. His face was weathered and dangerous-looking. The thief's dark hair was graying, but the most eye-catching feature of his face, was the scar over his right eye. It extended from his forehead down to his cheek. _

_"I know you! You're that thief the city watch has the mad-on for!" Assira said. "Indeed, I have that honor. The most wanted man in the entire city, as well as the most famous thief. Sometimes seen, never caught," he said with a quiet laugh. "Then again, considering the intelligence of most guards, that's not saying much." _

_"So now you have yourself a noble's daughter, do you plan on selling me for ransom?" she asked. "Are you frightened?" he asked with a blank stare, eyebrow raised. "Yes," she said after a few seconds. "Not nearly enough. Your father will send hired men after us like bloodhounds. If what you told me is true, he just lost a valuable political tool, not to mention that I just cleaned out his vault. It is time to choose your future. Come with me or go home."_

_"I already told you, there is nothing for me here," Assira said. "If I disturb you so much, I'm sure I could find another thief that is willing to take you on and teach you." The young girl shook her head. _

_"If I'm going to be a thief, I want to learn from the best." _

(A/N): That's the end of another one. What do you guys want for the next chapter? More of Assira's past? Current events? A mix of both? Let me know. Also don't forget to review and tell me what I could have done better! ~R. Overlord~


	25. Chapter 25

A/N): It feels like a life age of the Earth has passed since I last posted. I'm deeply sorry for the delays. I had term exams, sickness, projects, more sickness (same sickness as what I had around Christmas), and finally the real killer: lack of ideas. As we all know, obstacles are there to be overcome, and it seems I have broken through my literary dry spell, so expect multiples chapters this week. I apologize for the shortness of the chapter, but I got stuck in the middle of this one, so once I ended it at a natural place I wanted it out as soon as possible to let you guys know that this story is not dead and neither am I. Enjoy.

Overkhryak: The master thief is indeed back. He must be really bored, waiting for the sequel, so I'm sure he used his epic Keeper skills to transport himself into the Overlord universe to find shiny things to steal. :]

Spitting Faerie: I'm pretty sure nothing gets by Garrett, even emotional things. So I suspect that he would know. About his eyes, I'm going to write (say?) this once for everyone: his right eye (the green) is mechanical, while his left is real.

General Herbison: can you imagine an Overlord sneaking? I can't. :]

YuyaYunka: Thanks for the help, I'll work on that. As for the eyes, comments above. :]

xtenchix: In the next chapter, there'll be a bit of both.

Disclaimer….you guys know it by now. Also, Garrett does not belong to me…unfortunately.

**Chapter XXV: Old Friends**

At night, the Capital City lost only some of the activity that filled its bustling streets. The main streets that crossed the market district were as busy as ever, lit up by the many lanterns that hung from buildings that overshadowed the cobbled road.

Tonight, however, most residents were in their homes, owing to the pouring rain. The inns were full of smoke and laughter, as tenants gathered in the main rooms to listen to the songs of wandering minstrels.

Assira exited the carriage, her booted feet hitting the paved street with a quiet thump and a splash. "I'll be around when you need to leave," the carriage driver said as he drove off. The young woman pulled up the hood of her cape, shrouding herself in shadow as she pushed open the door to the Wayfarer Inn.

Inside, the inn was dimly lit by the fireplace in the center and several lanterns suspended from the wooden columns that supported the ceiling. The main room smelled of smoke, roast meat, and mead. The patrons were spread out, sitting at different rickety tables and some at bar. Assira walked up to the hardwood counter that was stained from many spills and years of service. Within seconds, the inn's owner appeared and produced a book and quill, the guest registry. "What would ya like? I've got rooms, food, and ale." "All three please," the woman said as she produced a small leather bag filled with gold and slid it across the counter.

The innkeeper opened the bag, counted out the gold and opened his book. "I shall need to know your name miss," he stated. Assira raised an eyebrow and slid a smaller bag across the counter. "I'm sure you can come up with one."

The innkeeper swiftly snatched the bag and hid it in his belt. He then motioned one of the servants over. "He'll show you to your room and bring you your food." Assira nodded her thanks and followed the servant up the creaky wooden stairs to her room.

Once inside, the woman removed her outer cloak and hung it up to dry. She gazed around the dimly lit room with a low ceiling. Assira lit some more of the lanterns and put her baggage next to the bed. The pitter patter of raindrops made her come to the window and take a look outside. The rain kept coming, and the city's residents were more than happy to remain inside.

Assira tore her gaze away from the window and opened one of her bags. Inside was her thieving kit: lockpicks, a dagger, and several other items of great usefulness. She began tucking the equipment into various pockets on her armor, making sure that none of it interfered with her movement.

A knock on the door tore the woman's attention from her equipment and she slipped her cloak back on to hide the armor that she wore. "Your meal Miss," the servant said when the woman opened the door. He handed her the platter of various meats and potatoes as well as a tankard of mead and retreated downstairs.

Assira placed the platter on the table and resumed her repacking. The candles had burned low by the time she was done, so the woman put them out, shrouding the room in half-darkness. The moon shone through the windowpanes, illuminating the raindrops. The rain had finally stopped, but raindrops still lingered on the glass.

The food the servant had brought up was still somewhat warm and Assira dug in with relish. It was a simple meal, but delicious. Under one of the plates, the woman found a note. It was crinkled and the heat of the food hand ruined some of the ink, but it was still legible.

_I've been inside the castle, and I've drawn a map on the back of this letter. The sword you're after if locked away in the paladins' vault, surrounded by more magical security than anything you've ever stolen, with only one visible entrance. The flaw in their plan consists of several gems hidden throughout the castle that power the enchantments. Since they are placed in locations that are normally out of the way, the only thing standing between the total shutdown of the magical fields are a few guard patrols and the secrecy surrounding the gems. _

_Once the field is down, the gems must be used to open the vault, but time will be short. The paladins will be able to feel the field losing power as time progresses, but there will be an hour-long window during which you will have to remove the sword and return the crystals before anyone notices. _

_This will be an extremely dangerous task, which is why the Overlord paid me more gold that I could ever spend to help you out one last time. _

_I'll see you tomorrow night,_

_Your mutual friend._

Assira smiled as she put the letter down on the platter and smiled to herself, a fond gleam in her eyes. The man who had taught her almost everything she knew was still alive.

(A/N): Please take the time to review and speculate, as it helps me generate ideas. Constructive reviews help me improve my writing, so if you see anything, please point it out and I will do my best to fix it. ~R. Overlord


	26. Chapter 26

(A/N): Hello again! I am officially back. I have struggled through writer's block and numerous technical errors that culminated in the implosion of my computer to bring this epic tale back. Yes, this story is back online after a month or so of hiatus. My Evil batteries are recharged; my plot points are ready, and I myself feel the need to be amused by the Overlord universe. Come join me once again.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Overlord**

**Chapter XXVI: Plotception: plots within plots**

While Assira was at the Capital City, Hanson was busy constructing plots of his own. Despite the joviality between elves and dwarves, the old hatreds still burned strongly within the veins of both races. The Overlord was all too happy to help send the two mighty empires crashing into one another, just as the Duke of Gromgard had once done under the guidance of Gnarl.

Hanson hired well-respected, but poor nobles to assist in issue mediation between the two races. At first, the disputes were settled fairly, as per the Overlord's instructions, in order to establish trust.

Once that had been completed, Hanson disguised himself as a wandering wizard and offered to meet with the nobles to council them further. He set up the place and date of the meeting, choosing a secluded spot in one of the meadows of Mellow Hills. Tents were quickly set up by hired servants and food and drink were brought to the site.

Many of the nobles arrived on horseback, attended by several guards in full armor with hands on their weapons. Mistrust was in the air, but once food and drink had been served the air was soon jovial as the lords discussed state politics as well as the future of the princess Elizabeth. The bodyguards relaxed, and that was when Hanson made his appearance.

"Hello my lords, my name is Lyer (a/n: best. name. ever.)," the Overlord began. His disguise was flawless, representing him as an old man with a mystical fire burning in his eyes and a kindly smile hidden behind a snowy beard. The wizard disguise was completed by a simple and worn grey robe with a deep hood and muddy boots as well as a wooden staff.

"I have called you here because you have gone to great lengths to right many wrongs. While it is true that you have been paid, your quality of service stands as an example of the finest political skill I have witnessed in many lifetimes. In my eyes, you are more than qualified to resolve the biggest potential political firestorm since the founding of the first empires. The elves and dwarves have been set up by an unknown entity to go to war with one another, and we must diffuse the situation before any evil can come to pass."

The lords listened in silence, captured by the passion in the wizard's voice. "Once, a long time ago, I would have done so myself, but in this age, I am afraid to admit that I can do nothing but delay the war. This is why I have come here, to plead you, all of you, to help me save the fragile coalition between the three races and ensure future prosperity." The Overlord paused for effect and conjured a little more fire into his eyes before continuing in a softer voice.

"If you help me do this, you will be forever remembered as the saviors of the world and the creators of the first true empire!"

At this fiery proclamation the lords jumped to their feet to applaud the wizard. Beneath his disguise, Hanson smiled grimly. _**Such easy mortal fools,**_ the Shadow murmured in the Overlord's mind as the lords continued clapping.

The wizard held up one hand and the lords quieted themselves.

"Do not mistake my intentions," he began. "What I am proposing will be considered radical by many, and they will oppose us. The concept of a united empire of three different races will seem repulsive to those who do not wish to share power. However, I have already assembled groups of supporters in all three realms that will seize power after our coups and form one united government. In fact, the much-celebrated knight Ryrin, possible heir to the throne, firmly backs our goals." The Overlord paused once more and gazed at the assembled nobility in front of him. The nobles clearly knew _that_ name, as naked joy appeared on the faces of some, relief on the faces of the others.

"I understand that not all of those present support this cause. In that case, you are free to leave and continue your mediation efforts. Light be with you," Hanson said. No one moved. Beneath the magic of his disguise, the Overlord smiled again. _It's done then, _he thought with a rush.

"I can see that we are united in our passion for stability and equality among all races," Hanson said. "For now, we must disperse until I summon all of you once more for our first operation. Go, continue you efforts to mediate conflict, and may the Light be with you."

The wizard vanished from the clearing and the nobles began to prepare for their journeys home. Hanson reappeared on a trail in the middle of the forest that surrounded Mellow Hills. The Overlord swiftly adopted a new disguise, one of a rich, but low-ranking noble. Hanson's new face looked very predatory, with high cheekbones and sharp, piercing eyes. The disguise's mouth was twisted in a perpetual sneer that radiated superiority. In short, the disguise gave the Overlord the appearance of the rear end of a donkey. His tunic was of the finest red and black leather, with the crest of some fictitious house woven on the front. He wore dark red trousers and new leather boots along with a flowing dark red cape with golden trim and riding gloves. As any noble, regardless of station, had some skill at arms, Hanson conjured a simple steel sword with gold inlay on the handle.

Thus disguised, the Overlord mounted a conjured black stallion and rode swiftly along the road towards the part of the forest known as the Thieves' Den.

The Thieves' Den welcomed Hanson with open arms…and a knife in each arm. The Overlord smiled grimly and narrowed his eyes as several bandits emerged from the undergrowth, knives in hand.

Hanson rolled his eyes and asked "do you want to kill me for my few possessions, or do you want comfort and pleasure for the rest of your lives?" The bandits paused, dumbfounded at the stranger's manner. Most who came into the Thieves' Den came by accident. "If you have chosen the second option, will one of show me to your chief?"

One of the bandits nodded mutely and beckoned to the mounted noble. As Hanson passed into the camp, he quickly realized that the numbers of the robbers, looters, and pillagers were much higher that he had dared hope. A flash of satisfaction passed over the Overlord's face as he continued to follow his guide.

The "camp" consisted of many ramshackle huts that bordered the main road. Hanson spotted bandits and their families inside, lounging aimlessly.

"It seems your plans will come to fruition much sooner than expected master," Gnarl said over the link he shared with the Overlord. "I do hope that these bandits and their "lord" will be easier to manipulate than the so-called lords. I haven't heard the sounds of dying in a while…I think its affecting me."

Hanson smiled and chuckled inwardly at Gnarl's comment. "We have arrived…m'lord." The bandit guide said. The Overlord tossed him a few coins and dismounted outside of a large and embroidered tent.

The inside of the tent was lit by several lanterns hanging off of nails driven into the large wooden poles that supported it. The combination of lanterns and the fire that burned furiously in the tent's center created enough light so that it always seemed to be mid-afternoon, no matter the time of day or the weather.

"Ah, my visitor has come," a porky man said as he lounged on his throne. His feet rested on several plush cushions while several women attended to him. Though outwardly he was unchanged, Hanson gritted his teeth. _Slaves_, he thought.

"I have come to offer you a profitable exchange of services," the Overlord began. "My name is Lord Osst, and I am offering you eternal wealth and a position of honor in my new kingdom, once it is created from the ruins of the old order."

"Before my son considers your offer, what guarantees do you have of your success?" An old woman emerged from the shadows, dressed regally in a black dress of some indescribable materials. She covered herself with a cloak of animal skins, and despite her age, Hanson could see who was truly in control of the ragtag band of robbers.

"The old order is falling apart. Soon elves will fight dwarves, and before long, the kingdom of King William will be split in two. There will be a bloody war for years before there is a victor. That's when we strike and take all the lands for our own," the Overlord said, now looking directly at the old woman.

"I invite you to join me and take advantage of this before I am forced to drive you out of your camp."

"You presume to threaten my son?" she asked shrilly. "There is no power capable of uprooting us from this forest. Many have tried, they came with false promises and empty threats, and they all failed. What can you do that they can't?"

"I can burn the forest down," Hanson said quietly. "I can turn you fortress into an inferno that will devour each and every one of you." The Overlord smiled grimly when he saw that he now had the full attention of everyone in the tent.

The porky man sat up slightly in his chair and extended a hand. "My name is Lord Chojash, and I lead the band of men you saw earlier. I consider your offer acceptable, but how exactly do you plan to pay me…and my men, of course." He added hastily after a glare from his mother.

Hanson had trouble not laughing and Gnarl wasn't helping as he roared with laughter in the Throne Room. "I intend to pay you with the elven realm of Evernight," he said. "It seems you have no elven women in your…entourage. I can help you correct that."

The lust on Chojash's face was so evident, that even one as wholly evil as the Overlord had his reservations as the two shook hands. Leather glove met plushy fingers, and Hanson felt the temptation to crush the man right then and there.

_**Easy there, he is still useful to you…for now,**_ the Shadow whispered. The Overlord regained control of his emotions and said "thank you, Lord Chojash, I expect your men to be ready to march to war within the month."

"A month? I thought the war would take years!"

"Certainly, but for there to be a war, we must start it," Hanson replied as he exited the tent.

Outside, night had fallen and the camp was lit by the fires scattered across the meadow and the light that shone through the cracks of the huts. The Overlord remounted and dug his spurs into the stallion, speeding away from the Thieves' Den into the night.

The night the Overlord made his plots was the night Assira and her old mentor had decided to make off with the Sword of the First Overlord. Rumor had it, it was forged from the armor of the Forgotten God himself, but nobody really knew. All that mattered was that it was razor-sharp and contained enough Evil energy to level a country.

Getting into the royal palace was easy enough for the master-apprentice duo, but breaking into the vault was something else altogether.

All had gone as planned at first. The crystals were found and removed, disabling the magical shield and the sword itself was stolen, but that's when all went downhill.

All of those thoughts and more went through Assira's mind when she was surrounded by ten paladins, none of whom looked too pleased by the goose egg bruises on their heads or the crystals that she was carrying in her hands.

Garrett stood on a small ledge on the floor above, watching the drama unfold. The master thief had the sword tucked away under his cloak as he prepared to leave. There was nothing he could do to help his former apprentice than by galvanizing her ", Overlord" as she called him, into action. Garrett closed his eyes and disappeared into the night with a heavy sigh.

(A/N): Please don't forget to review and provide constructive criticism and suggestions! ~R. Overlord~

P.S. With this chapter I break 40K words! Whoo!


	27. Chapter 27

Author's Note: With the lack of a computer, please don't expect daily updates. I think that two or three a week is fair. Enjoy the chapter!

YuyaYunka: Welcome back. As I have said before, don't be so shy. It's the internet, and nobody knows who you are.

littleking9512: Indeed….

Xtenchix: as amusing as that would be, I can't have the Overlord use artillery. :P

Overkhryak: I agree, I will try to avoid eclecticism in the future.

Disclaimer: My characters are mine, Overlord is someone else's.

**Chapter XXVII: Let the Love Games Begin!**

**(A/N: this has absolutely _nothing_ to do with the _Hunger Games_.)**

Hanson arrived at the Dark Tower by dawn, when the pale rays of light had just emerged from the ring of mountains that surrounded the Tower. The light bathed the black in light pink and reflected off of the Overlord's armor. Hanson strode up to the gates and raised his left arm.

The power from his gauntlet infused with the gates and a moment later, the arcanium doors opened to reveal Gnarl.

"Sire, you have a visitor," the minion master said with a bow. "If you would follow me, I shall take you to him."

The Overlord followed the aged brown up the various stairways and passages until the duo reached the throne room. Hanson looked around for the visitor, but was unable to find him. The Overlord looked down at Gnarl in confusion, but the minion master simply grinned and pointed at a patch of shadow.

Garrett emerged soundlessly from the shadows and produced the First Overlord's sword from beneath his dark cloak.

"Here is your order…Overlord," he said in a low voice. Despite the joy welling up in his heart, Hanson couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong. After a moment, it hit him like a thunderbolt.

"And Assira?" He asked, fearing the worst. "She was captured by paladins just as we were about to escape," the master thief replied. "The paladins do not know that we came for the sword. With her quick thinking, Assira disguised our true intent and allowed me to escape."

The Overlord's heart started to beat faster. "Is she dead then?" He said, claws of ice gripping his heart. "No," the thief replied as he looked at Hanson. His mismatched eyes seemed to bore holes through the Overlord's helmet and look straight into his soul. "She is imprisoned in William's dungeons, awaiting trial by the paladin council."

"When shall this trial take place?" Gnarl butted into the conversation. "In a week or so," the thief replied, now looking at Gnarl. "It seems that fate is offering us a unique opportunity sire…we can be rid of the paladins and rescue your…female friend in one fell swoop."

The Overlord began to comprehend the minion master's plan. "We must accelerate our plans then. I will inform Chojash that he must be ready in three days, in exchange for thrice the original rewards. If I can cause enough of a racket in Evernight, the paladins and their over-inflated sense of pride will be more than happy to delay the trial in favor of aiding their allies."

Garrett nodded his agreement. "I shall depart then." He turned towards the stairs, but the paused and removed his hood to look straight at Hanson's glowing eyes. Despite his grey hair and lined face, the thief was still very imposing. "Take good care of her or you will regret it terribly. You won't be the first all-powerful being I brought low," he said with a half-smile and a distant glint in his left eye. The Overlord did not doubt the thief, and had a feeling that the strange right eye was somehow involved.

"I will," Hanson vowed. The thief simply nodded and raised his hood. The Overlord looked down for a moment, pondering the future and when he looked up once more the thief had vanished.

Assira sat inside her cell in the White Tower, the tallest building in the Capital City, pondering her fate. The cell was simple, but still comfortable. There was a bed with actual sheets as well as a table with a chair and a bookcase. Meals were brought three times a day and an hour of exercise in the yard outside was permitted.

The paladins had done nothing to mistreat Assira, or even search her for that matter. She wasn't sure what awaited her, but she doubted it was anything good. The sound of approaching feet broke her out of the reverie and she looked up to see three white-armored paladins outside her cell door.

The one in the center had a short brown beard and brown hair flecked with gray as well as dull grey eyes. His bulging belly was barely contained by his armor and Assira swore she could hear the rivets threatening to pop. The two paladins that flanked him had their hoods raised so all that could be seen were their mouths.

"So you're the one that attempted to steal the guardian crystals," he said, his voice as hard as the walls of the prison tower. "Yes I am," she said, meeting his eyes defiantly. "You are then hereby charged with thievery. Your trial will take place in a month and the High Court of the Light shall decide your fate then," the paladin said pompously. Assira grinned to herself as she thought of what Gnarl might say about the paladin. _Pompous fools who only look to impress others with their so-called piety, men who relish the opportunity to demonstrate to others how they are caught in their heretical ways and to lead them towards the "true path."_

"Does something amuse you, heretic?" the paladin said, trying to look as threatening as possible. Needless to say, he failed miserably as the only threatening thing about him was the possibility of him falling on top of Assira belly first.

The paladin continued to glower for a bit and then began to tramp back down the hall, his accomplices in tow.

Assira leaned back in her bed and stared at the ceiling of her cell. _Wherever you are Hanson, I hope you're coming to get me._

The Overlord sped through the forest in the guise of Lord Osst towards the Thieves' Den, his thoughts focused on Assira. "You know sire, I'm sure that she is quite alright," the minion master said as comfortingly as possible. "The paladins strive for their prisoners to repent and convert to their religious scam. We have plenty of time to free your future mistress."

While Gnarl wasn't the most trustworthy type around, Hanson was still comforted by the minion master's words.

Before long, the familiar shapes of the bandit camp came into sight. This time, the men at the entrance simply stood aside and let the Overlord rife straight to Chojash's pavilion. The camp was in a state of high alert and the various bands were grinding themselves for war. Weapons were being sharpened on grindstones and makeshift armor was being assembled from various bits and pieces.

Hanson dismounted and entered the pavilion, nodding briefly to Chojash and his mother. "I am afraid that we have been somewhat compromised," he said. "We must accelerate our plans. I shall provide enough arms and armor for your men and thrice the original promised reward for you to be ready to march in three days."

Chojash pretended to think carefully while he inconspicuously looked at his mother, who gave him a slight nod. "What a mama's boy!" Gnarl exclaimed. "I'm surprised his slaves don't spoon-feed him his honeyed porridge."

The Overlord smiled slightly as Chojash said "I accept your offer Lord Osst, we shall be ready by your new deadline. When can we expect these arms and armor you so graciously have chosen to equip my men with?"

"Now." Several horse-drawn carts emerged from the main road, guided by some villagers from Spree. The carts stopped in the middle of the camp and Hanson walked out of the tent to watch the assembling bandits. Chojash managed to extract himself from his chair and followed.

"Men," the bandit lord began in a weedy voice. "We live well enough now, but this man has offered us the opportunity for a better life. A series of armed rebellions shall drive the three great realms into becoming one massive empire. For the part we play in this unification, we shall be awarded with the realm of Evernight and many elven…associates," Chojash trailed off, allowing his underlings to grasp what he was saying. It was clear from the grins appearing on the faces of the bandits that most of them understood what their lord was saying perfectly.

"Gather in front of Evernight in three days, fully armed with rations and torches. Begin the attack at dawn, and use fire to deal with any problematic elves. I shall ride to the Capital City and take control of the army and the court. You can count on aid coming to you from the opposite end of the forest. In a few days, your combined forces shall meet in the middle, crushing all opposition," the Overlord said.

He mounted his horse and rode from the camp, his cloak blazing behind him like fire. _In three days, the alliance shall fracture, and their realms will burn,_ he thought vengefully as the forest flew past.

**Three Days Later**

The Overlord, in the guise of the knight Ryrin, rode his horse at a gallop towards the Capital City. The guards at the gates only stopped him for a few moments until they recognized the face of the winner of the King's Tourney. Then, they parted and let the knight continue his full-pelt gallop to the keep.

Upon arriving at the keep, Ryrin dismounted and tossed the reins to the nearest stable boy before rushing up the white marble steps to the throne room. The guards took one look at the three-day beard on the knight's face as well as the travel-stained clothing and let him pass.

The king was holding court with his daughter in tow when the Overlord burst in, feigning tiredness and alarm. "What is the meaning of this?" a fat lord, probably the master of coin intoned. "Guards, remove this man!"

"Calm yourself Lord Iros, this man is a well-respected knight and possibly my daughter's future husband. Whatever he has to say, I'm sure it is important. Why else would he have dragged himself here in such a state?" William said.

Hanson bowed before the paladin before relating his tale. "The bandits you sent me to deal with are much more organized than we first believed. They have united into one large band and have slaughtered many villages before turning their eyes to Evernight. Even now they are burning their way through the forest." The King and his ministers stared at the Overlord in shock while Elizabeth's hand went strait to her mouth in fright.

"My men held them off as long as they could. They sacrificed themselves so that I could escape to warn you in time. My lord, I beseech you to send aid to the elves."

"Sir Ryrin, please come up to our private dining hall. The rest of you, this meeting is adjourned. Call Lord Leandros to my private halls as well. We have important business to discuss," King William said before rising from his throne and swiftly walking up the stairs, Elizabeth and Hanson in tow.

Once they trio had reached the Royal residence, the king turned to face Ryrin, gripping him by the muscular shoulders. "I understand that the loss of your men must be painful. I myself had once lost all those under my command and I know what you feel. However, you are no use to us half-alive. I command you to wash, eat, and rest before we begin our meeting."

The Overlord nodded and turned to descend the steps. "I think it would be appropriate if you used a room here. After all, you might be king one day," William said.

_I will be king one day paladin, but not in the way you believe,_ Hanson thought as he turned. "Come sir knight, I'll show you to your room," Elizabeth said as she took the Overlord by the hand and led him up a further flight of steps to the Royal apartments.

As she guided him through the various halls, Elizabeth kept turning to smile her dazzling smile at the Overlord. As he followed the crown princess around the palace, Hanson couldn't help but note how beautiful she was, closer to an elf than a human.

"Here we are," she said as she stopped in front of one of the many rooms. "I'll have clothes and a tub brought up for you. Afterwards you can eat with us downstairs and then rest until the meeting begins. I'll come get you," she said and planted a light kiss on his cheek.

Then she turned and walked back towards the stairs, leaving the Overlord in a state of confusion outside of his quarters.

Author's Note: As always, please make comments and suggestions! ~R. Overlord~


	28. Chapter 28

Author's Note: This chapter is shorter than my new standard for two reasons:

I am experimenting with dividing lines and I want to know what you guys think before I over commit.

I had to rewrite this entire chapter from scratch because I wasn't satisfied with it.

littleking9512: We have reached the climax at last!

General Herbison: I am looking to see how things turn out too. My muse hasn't informed me yet. :D

YuyaYunka: Thanks for the tip, I'll keep it mind. As for the rest, I don't mind long reviews as it's the closest I'll come to a real conversation on a text-based website. You didn't miss any plot points, I have yet to reveal the overall scheme.

Disclaimer: My characters are mine, Overlord is someone else's.

**Chapter XXVIII: The Great Escape**

The Overlord shook himself out of his stupor and opened the door of his new residence. It was well furnished, containing a four poster made of some dark wood, inlaid with gold as well as a wide wooden desk and a chair. The floor was covered by a thick carpet and there was a fireplace attached to the wall directly opposite the door. The room's large glass window was open, letting a breeze toy with the white silk drapes. The sun outside was starting to sink behind the horizon, shooting its last rays across the open plains.

Hanson simply looked out over the city until he spotted the White Tower, the paladin order's stronghold in the city. The Overlord clenched his fists in anger at his own powerless position. He knew that Assira was imprisoned there, but was unable to do anything to help.

"Easy now sire…she will be rescued soon," the minion master placated through their mental link. Gnarl didn't want to go through the hassle of finding a new Overlord if Hanson died, and thus wanted his current master to stay alive as long as possible.

_You better not fail me Gnarl,_ the Overlord thought.

"Milord, your bath is here," a voice said behind the Overlord. He turned to find a steaming hot tub set in the middle of the room. "The princess had me also bring these," the servant said as he laid out a fresh set of clothes on the bed. "If you need assistance bathing…"

"That's quite alright," the Overlord said as he began to walk towards the tub. "I can manage."

"Very well milord, call me if you need anything." The servant exited the room with a bow and closed the door behind him.

Hanson quickly undressed and slipped into the tub, feeling every muscle and joint relax in the hot water. The Tower Heart could heal any wound or malady, but could not do much in the realm of physical comfort.

Elizabeth stood in front of the mirror in her chambers, eying herself critically as an army of maids swarmed her from all angles, fixing hair, applying makeup, and selecting jewelry. As always, they bickered amongst themselves fiercely.

"Milady, would you like the sapphires or the rubies?"

"The rubies, of course! Then she can wear her green gown!"

"The white gown is better!"

The maids were ready to pull each other's hair out when Elizabeth stopped them with an elegant wave.

"Please stop this bickering," she said gently. I think the green gown with rubies would be best."

The maids quieted and moved to carry out the princess' orders. Elizabeth sighed as the green gown was slipped over her head. Internally, she debated what hairstyle to choose, dimly aware that the maids were arguing about something again.

She cleared her head, becoming aware of the new argument about hairstyles. Before it could get too heated, the princess selected a simple elegant knot along with her ruby-encrusted tiara, silencing the maids for the rest of the evening.

Fully dressed in her royal splendor, Elizabeth softly exited her room and walked to her father's library. William kept his massive library well-organized and the princess was quickly able to find the book she was looking for: _Professor Gooblekin's Art of Seduction_. Elizabeth sat in one of the nearby armchairs and began to read, her cheeks quickly beginning to glow red.

Hanson extracted himself from the tub, water dripping off his muscle-covered a form. He quickly dried himself off and slipped on the white tunic and pants provided. A set of new leather boots stood at the foot of the bed, but the Overlord chose to slip on his older pair as they were much more comfortable.

The tunic and pants were both white with gold sewn into the front of the tunic, forming William's crest. Now fully dressed, Hanson walked over to the window to catch the last rays of sunset. As the sun finally sank beneath the horizon, the Overlord turned to the sound of knocking at the door.

Hanson opened the door to see the princess standing there, looking as beautiful as a delicate rose. The old adage _even roses have thorns_ flickered in the Overlord's mind as he wordlessly took the princess' offered arm and allowed himself to be guided downstairs into the dining hall.

Assira stared longingly at the setting sun, wishing she could escape from the tower. As far as prisons went, it wasn't bad, as it was cleaner than most inns the thief had been to in her lifetime. It was the lost freedom that stung her most of all, the loss of all free will, doomed to spend her remaining days caged like a pet bird.

Assira was in the middle of her dark thoughts when a large explosion rocked the White Tower in its entirety. A few moments later, the pitter-patter of many small feet could be heard, along with the occasional crashing noise of a guard being removed from existence.

The thief flew over to the bars to see what was going on. She could barely contain her excitement. Hanson had come for her!

"Sorry to disappoint you dear, but your Overlord is currently indisposed," Gnarl's voice came from the other side of the bars. Thus, being the only other being capable of controlling minions, I was sent to come get you out of your…predicament."

Assira was disappointed, but perked up slightly at "your Overlord."

"Now, if you're ready to escape, we will blow up the door. Grubby! Bring up the blaster bug guts!"

The brown ran up to the cell door and smeared it with what looked like a spoiled and rotting mushroom.

"I advise you back up mistress," Gnarl said as he signaled one of the reds forward. Assira backed up just as the red hurled a fireball at the door, igniting the volatile biochemistry of the bug, causing a small explosion that obliterated the cell door.

"Now we must get going, as the paladins will be none too pleased with this. Even if they are oafish, they still pose a threat to us."

The thief nodded her mute agreement and followed the minions down the stairs. As she ran, she noticed the widespread mayhem the little creatures had caused. She couldn't believe her eyes. The minion were kind of cute and cuddly and not too bright, but what she saw was a mute testament to their awesome power.

Bodies littered the floor; some hacked to pieces, others with their skulls bashed in. Everything had been overturned and looted and there was a gaping hole in the wall.

"That's our exit!" The minion master panted as he ran. "Into the sewers." All around her the minions, were gleefully flinging themselves over the edge into the water. Assira followed suit.

"Sir Ryrin, I'm glad you could join us for a little supper," King William said as soon as Elizabeth guided the Overlord into the dining hall. The wooden table had been covered in a white tablecloth and servants milled around, placing down dishes of all kinds.

"Isn't this a little much?" Hanson asked as he looked over the ample supply of food. "There are only three of us; we'll never stomach all of this."

"Four actually," the king replied. "One of my generals is coming for the meeting so I invited him to dine with us."

At that moment the doors opened and the guard led a man in whose statue was greater than even the Overlord's. He wore a simple dress military tunic and pants with soft black leather boots that were cracked from use. The general's hair was shorn close to his head and his beard was nothing more that a slight shadow. His high cheekbones and slightly pointed nose gave him a predatory look and his deep brown eyes burned like coals ready to burst into flame.

"General Leandros, welcome," the king said as he rose to greet the newcomer. "Sir Ryrin, Leandros spoke very highly of you combat ability in the arena."

Leandros nodded and strode over to the Overlord who untangled himself from the princess to shake the general's hand. Leandros' grip was one of a career soldier; able to shatter most of the bones in the hand of a courtier, but Hanson was no stranger to the brutality of war.

The general bowed briefly to the king and his daughter before turning back to the Overlord. "As his majesty said, I commend you for your performance. Is your arm healing up? I could see it has broken, despite your ability to keep it well hidden."

"I'm all right now," Hanson replied, flexing his right arm. "But what of you? I am relatively new at court and I spend so much time away I have not yet heard of your achievements."

"I'm afraid there is not much to it. I was able to hold back a brigand band similar to the one annihilated your troops." The Overlord's eyes narrowed slightly as he wondered if that was an insult.

"In fact Leandros, that is why you are here. Your ability to read the tactics of the scum is why you are so vital to our border regiments," William said. "But come, we are boring my daughter with this talk of warfare, let us eat. We shall discuss what to do later."

Author's Note: As always, please make comments and suggestions! ~R. Overlord~


	29. Chapter 29

Author's Note: I'm afraid that for now, my posting will be intermittent. As the end of the school year approaches, the time I have to sit and write this story has become inversely proportional to the amount of project, essays, and term papers I have. I promise that once the year is over, I will post more frequently. With that said, I am thankful for your patience. You guys are wonderful!

P.S. I re-uploaded due to a Roman numeral error on my part. Sorriez.

Xeno Tyrant: Thanks for reading!

littleking9512: Politics truly are a free-for-all deathmatch.

General Herbison: That book was there because…well…um.

As you can see, there is not a word about minions swimming in this chapter apart from blues. ;)

Disclaimer: My characters are mine, Overlord is someone else's.

**Chapter XXIX: The Plot Continues**

Assira plunged into the freezing water of the sewers that ran under the Capital City. All around her, the minions were doing the same, except that they were drowning. She felt claws grab her shoulder and saw that Gnarl had grabbed on to her to keep himself from drowning.

"The minions! They're-"

"It's quite alright my dear," Gnarl gasped. He signaled and at least twenty blues emerged from the shadows and willingly dove into the water to free their brethren from its embrace.

Assira began to swim to the nearest stone wall and hauled herself up onto the walkway, Gnarl in tow. "My thanks mistress," he said as he dropped to the stone floor with a wet smack. Nearby, the blues were dropping off their passengers and swimming back to pick up the rest until the entire horde had been reassembled.

Assira shivered, her sodden clothes clinging to her. She felt miserable. "Reds! Start a fire!" Gnarl commanded. The imp-like minions obeyed and a few seconds later a towering inferno rose due to the reds' enthusiasm.

The roaring flames lit up the sewers, and Assira was able to see clearly. The sewers were old, their stones overgrown with moss and all manner of other plants.

"You know, if the Dark Tower ever collapsed, we could live here. It's so…cozy," Gnarl commented as he sat near the fire, his ragged robes steaming.

Hanson staggered up the steps to his quarters, guided by the princess. He had definitely had too much wine. "Come sir Ryrin, what kind of knight can't walk while blindly drunk?" Elizabeth teased as she half-pulled half-led the Overlord towards his room.

When the duo had reached the door of Hanson's quarters, the princess propped him up against the war while she opened the door. "Well, I suppose this is good-bye for now," she said. The Overlord muttered something unintelligible as he leaned against the war.

"Good night," the princess said as she leaned in and kissed Hanson softly on the lips before retreating to her own chambers. The Overlord staggered inside the room, closed the door, and dragged himself to his bed.

When he lay down, the realization of what had happened hit him full force.

"**You pathetic mortal **_**fool**_," the Shadow hissed. "**Why did you allow her to kiss you? This will only confuse you further. Bah! Hormones**."

Hanson lay in his bed, guilt flowing through him as he felt the dark spirit burning away the confusion caused by the alcohol. "I'm sorry," he said softly. **"Sorry doesn't cut it mortal. Did you forget about our arrangement? Power for the sacrifice of pure love." **

"So what? I can still find someone who loves me. I'm sure that any of the empty-headed women at court will be more than happy to oblige," the Overlord replied.

"**I said PURE love. Now you will have to choose which one, seeing as you are divided. Which will it be?" **Hanson stayed quiet that time, pondering his precarious position. On one side, his love for the fiery thief was real, but the princess wasn't simple to ignore. She was startlingly beautiful and seemed to glow like a star from afar.

The Overlord was still pondering when he sank into a deep sleep.

Assira softly walked next to Gnarl, the rest of the minions behind them. The strange crystal the minion master had attached to the stick on his back lit up enough of the sewers that they could see where they were going.

"Which way was it now? Let's see…was it right, left right, or left, right, left?" he muttered to himself as the winding passages of the sewers twisted left and right.

"Ah!" he exclaimed. "I know the way now. Follow me." Gnarl increased his speed until Assira was almost running, trying to keep pace with the speeding minion master. The small party made their way through the twisting passageways until they emerged into a large and empty room. The only light besides Gnarl's crystal was a blue glowing waypoint gate.

"We've arrived safely. I suggest we leave as soon as possible. The paladins' phobia of sewer water will last only a little while longer. I would like to leave before they figure out where we went."

The thief nodded mutely and stepped on the glowing floor panel before vanishing in a flash of blue light.

The Overlord awoke from his troubled sleep at the sound of knocking on the door of his chambers. He pulled himself out of bed and slowly made his way towards the door, yawning hugely. It was still dark outside and the moon shone as it traveled across the night sky. Hanson reached the wooden door and pulled it open.

Bright torchlight caused him to lean back involuntarily, but he threw the door open when his eyes had adjusted to the light. William stood in the doorway with another man at his back.

"Sir Ryrin, it is time for our council session to commence. If you would follow us…"

The king's council chamber was empty save for a few maps scattered on the table at the center. Fires danced inside iron braziers and lit the room with a moody half-light. The three men filed in, and sat down at the table facing one another.

"Sir Ryrin, I believe you have yet to meet Lord Leandros, my best general as well as my brother," William said. Hanson nodded politely at the mammoth of a man in front of him. Leandros looked like the hardened warrior he was. The court clothing did little to disguise his broad shoulders and the immense amounts of muscle. His face was like that of a hawk with sharp features and the high cheekbones that defined William's family. His head was bald and he had no beard, just some stubble. Leandros' eyes were brown like William's, but cold as the Northern Wastes. Scars crisscrossed the general's face, mementos of the numerous battles he had fought.

"I watched you battle in the arena Sir Ryrin, and I am impressed by your swordsmanship," the general said in a gravelly voice as he nodded in the Overlord's direction.

"I am still wondering how you pulled off that last move with your broken arm," he continued, fixing his gaze on Hanson.

"Luck," the Overlord replied almost cheerily, knowing that his response would irritate Leandros.

"We are not here to discuss the past, but the present," William warned. "Sir Ryrin, would you recount your tale for us once more?"

As Hanson re-told all that had supposedly transpired, a fierce happiness seized him. His master plans were finally in motion, driving the Elves, men, and dwarves on a collision course towards their own destruction.

Chojash rode at the center of his column of brigands and bandits through Evernight. As his ally had suggested, the ragtag army was well-equipped with torches as well as the armor and weapons supplied by their acquaintance within William's court: Lord Osst.

"M'lord, we've found another elven village close by. What should we do?" A junior lieutenant asked as he approached the mounted bandit lord.

"Why, the same as every other village! Take the men and children as slaves, grab the women, loot their treasures, and burn it to the ground." The lieutenant bowed and headed towards one of the platoon-like formations to distribute the orders.

The orders were carried out with efficiency unusual for a group of ragged vermin. The first few dozen men ran straight into the village, slashing at everything in their path while the next few groups came in from the sides, effectively trapping all the residents along the perimeter. What scant resistance the villagers offered was quickly eliminated. Once the slaughter was over, those that remained were herded to the back of the column in chains to begin their lives as slaves.

The residences were plundered of all valuables and the village set aflame, the smoke rising many miles high. Chojash smiled to himself wickedly. Everything was going exactly to plan.

"We have no word yet from the elves about the brigands, but we do know that they are pushing deeper and deeper into Evernight as we speak, burning, pillaging, and enslaving," Leandros said, standing over a map of Evernight. "I recommend that we dispatch a sizable force to expunge them from the Elves' forest. I have no doubt that they will defeat these invaders, but with us, it will be much easier."

"I agree," Hanson said. "Our foot soldiers are superior to those of the elves, but their archers are superior to our own. With our combined forces, we should be able to drive the invaders out of Evernight."

"Very well, I shall issue orders for my commanders to rally their men in readiness for war," William said with a heavy sigh. "Even if it means the death of so many more innocent souls."

"I ask your permission to lead this campaign brother," Leandros said. "I am much more experienced in fighting brigands than any other commander in your army."

"Granted," the paladin king said with a nod. "And you, Sir Ryrin? What are your recommendations?"

"I'm afraid I can't be much use beyond the information I have provided. I have never fought from horseback, so I can't be much help in battle either, besides leading swordsmen into the fray."

"Then you shall stay as my guest," William said graciously. "Now, it is getting late. We shall reconvene in the morning."

Author's Note: As always, please make comments and suggestions! ~R. Overlord~


	30. Chapter 30

Author's Note: Yes, it's another short-ish chapter. I'm afraid that's all I can do for now without sacrificing grades. I restate my promise to increase output and length after school is over.

P.S. I noticed that my chapter numbering is off. I will correct that soon, so don't panic when you see about a dozen "new chapter" notifications. It's just me fixing things that need to be fixed.

**Chapter XXX: Sorry, no sex. Just violence.**

Disclaimer: Strange as it may be, I still don't own Overlord! However, I do own characters.

General Herbison: Am I mistaken in believing you're quoting Hannibal from the A-team?

Spitting Faerie: Thanks. I plan on succeeding in the department of finals and projects. ;)

The morning came along with the sound of trumpets. Before the sun had risen, the king and his supposedly loyal advisers had met once more to determine the details of the campaign into Evernight.

The three had agreed that Leandros would lead a force of five hundred knights and foot soldiers into the forest to assist the elves in their plight.

The force left a little after dawn, the soldiers drawn from William's personal guard and the knights from various fiefs throughout the kingdom. The entire city had turned out to watch the small army embark upon what some called a "noble mission." Little did they know that none of those who traveled into the forest under King William's banner would ever return home.

The Overlord experienced a feeling of satisfaction as the shining columns exited the Capital City. _Let their blood only fuel my desire for further vengeance. Remember this day William. This is the day your kingdom begins to fall apart both from the inside and out, _he thought angrily before re-composing himself mentally and turning to smile at Elizabeth, who stood next to him.

"Sir Ryrin, would like to join us for breakfast?" William inquired as he turned to head back towards the palace.

"It would be an honor, my liege," Hanson said with the tiniest amount of sarcasm as he turned to follow the paladin king.

Lord Leandros rode at the head of a shining column of knights and foot soldiers, gazing about him imperiously. Despite being a competent general, he lacked experience facing enemies that didn't rush blindly in attack. As the force began to near the eaves of Evernight and the shadows deepened, Leandros thought he saw flickers in the woods surrounding them.

Commander Vesc waited in the shadows of Evernight, his hands white as they gripped the compound bow he carried. After his detachment had failed to secure the mysterious tomb, they had been redeployed to border guard duties. At first, he thought of it as an insult, but a few weeks later, word began to trickle in that the opposite end of Evernight was under attack by soldiers. Soldiers dressed in the regalia of King William's army.

Vesc had wanted to rush over to the eastern edge, but was told to remain where he was by the elven council. If King William had truly decided to wage war on the elves, it was logical to assume that another army would come from the Capital City, with it being only half a day's march away, to crush the elves from two sides.

_ At last,_ Vesc though as his scouts informed him of the approaching humans.

"Redeploy the battle group on both sides of the lip of the valley that guards the entrance to the forest. Then send a group behind them. I will lead a group that will attack from the front. None will survive," he said grimly, his eyes smoldering with hatred.

Leandros' group marched into the eaves of Evernight confidently, awaiting a delegation of elves to greet them. What they received was altogether different. In the last rays of sunshine, the general spotted a few elves blocking the road ahead, hooded and clocked with bows in hand and arrows already on the string.

"You will go no further, servant of the butcher of elvenkind," one of the cloaked figures said, drawing the bow fully and training the arrow on Leandros. "Turn and run, and bring a message to your king: we will not tolerate his aggression. The men he sent to attack from the East are dead. If he sends any more soldiers, we will annihilate them all. You have been warned."

Lord Leandros lifted an eyebrow quizzically. "Are you sure you're not referring to someone else? We are your friends."

Vesc scowled under his hood and released his arrow. It traveled the distance between the two commanders in little over a second, piercing the general through the heart. As William's brother fell from his horse, the rest of the border guard opened fire from all sides, filling the soldiers and knights with mithril-tipped arrows. Within a few seconds it was over, and the corpses of William's relief force bore mute testament to the deadly skill of elven rangers.

Vesc wound his way through the dead and dying, slaughtering any he found alive, his soldiers following suit. The dirt road to Evernight was colored red with the blood of all who had perished there. The ground hungrily absorbed the liquid, forever staining it red. In the future, plants that grew here would become twisted and malevolent, hungry for blood.

"Fetch my horse," Vesc said. "It is time to send a message to the butcher king." The white stallion given to the commander by William was brought forward and the elf drew his sword before removing Leandros' head from his body and putting in a leather bag. The rest of the elves watched their leader in silence as he tied the bag to the saddle and then gave the horse a slap on the hindquarters.

The stallion took off at a gallop towards the Capitol City, its white coat glimmering in the purple twilight.

As the sun set in the Capitol City, the Overlord sat in his chambers preparing for the overthrow of the hated paladin king.

"By my calculations, the force that insufferable paladin sent has been eliminated. If the elves are feeling as dramatic as they usually are, the head of Lord Leandros should be on its way back here. When it arrives, it will be your best chance to assault the White Tower and show the world that you are back," Gnarl counseled through the psychic link that every Overlord shared with the minion master.

Hanson mutely exited his chambers and descended the stairs to the private dining room that he now shared with William and Elizabeth.

"Sir Ryrin, where are you going?" Elizabeth said as she spotted her favorite knight preparing to leave. "I'm afraid I have business in the city tonight," the Overlord replied with a fond smile. "Perhaps tomorrow, my princess," he said as he kissed her lightly on the cheek and exited the palace via the back door.

"That seems to be your answer to everything of late," the crown princess murmured to herself sadly before returning to her apartments.

The guards outside stiffened and saluted as he brushed past, heading towards the center of the city.

By the time the Overlord had arrived at his destination, night had truly fallen, and torches had been lit to keep the darkness at bay.

Hanson looked around to make sure no one was watching and then opened a sewer grate before slipping inside and locking it.

Once the Overlord's boots hit the floor of the sewers, the young embodiment of Evil brushed himself off and proceeded down the well-lit hallway to where Gnarl and several minions waited.

Hanson stripped off his court clothing before folding it neatly and placing it on a nearby shelf. The Overlord then began to put on his armor with the help of the minions.

"Your young lady has escaped the White Tower sire," Gnarl said. "Now you can happily wreak revenge on the paladins with no possibility of collateral damage." The ancient minion sighed. "Isn't it a wonderful feeling master?"

The Overlord nodded as he pulled on his gauntlets, the left flaring as it recognized its master. Hanson slipped on his helmet, taking extreme pleasure at the opportunity to cause havoc to those who wronged him. Giblet stepped forward with the first Overlord's sword and Hanson ripped it out of its sheath, letting the onyx-colored blade shimmer in the torchlight.

"Ah, this takes me back a thousand years or so," Gnarl murmured, looking at the black-armored figure before him. "It's been a while since I saw anyone wear that armor. How fitting that it surfaces as a new era of Overlording begins!"

As if on cue, screams permeated through the sewer ceiling. "It seems the cargo has reached its destination," Gnarl said with a snigger.

The Overlord summoned his horde of minions. They numbered fifty in all, all bloodthirsty and ready to die for their master.

"I shall return to the Tower sire," Gnarl said as he stepped on the waypoint gate. "I shall provide whatever help I can from there."

Hanson nodded and began to advance into the sewers, the horde of fully-armed minions behind him.

The entrance to the sewers from the White Tower was guarded by a pair of paladins. They were almost raw recruits, fresh out of the training camps.

"How much longer do we have to stay out here?" one asked. "I can't stand being down here. It stinks somethin' awful."

"Quiet!" the other chastised. "Who knows what's out there? Do you want to bring it down on us?" he added, gazing into the darkness that permeated most of the city sewers.

"You worry too much Polk," the first paladin said with a yawn. "There is nothing down here."

It was just at that moment that the Overlord emerged into torchlight, red eyes gleaming in fury. His sword sung a song of death as the headless bodies of the two guards fell to floor, their blood forming pools among the cracks in the stone floor.

With the guards dealt with, Hanson advanced up the white marble steps into the interior of the White Tower with his horde behind him.

Author's Note: As always, please make comments and suggestions! R. Overlord


	31. Chapter 31

Author's Note: Hello again. I've decided to try a little experiment. You will quickly become aware of it as you get to the end of the chapter. Enjoy.

xtenchix: I'm not sure as to why the princess would be in the paladin stronghold instead of her quarters, but perhaps later, when the Overlord besieges the keep. As for minion antics, there are a few, but this war will be quite long and there will be many more opportunities.

General Herbison: I'm glad I guessed correctly. The minions of war will be unleashed soon enough. ;)

Xeno Tyrant: I keep wishing that Capture the Princess would be a game mode in Overlord multiplayer. Imagine it like a four-way capture the flag combined with a free-for-all deathmatch for the princess. That would be fun.

Disclaimer: My characters are mine, Overlord is someone else's

**Chapter XXXI: Showdown in the White Tower**

As the Overlord began to show the paladin residents of the White Tower his particular band of justice, there was a commotion at the town square. Leandros' head had been found in the saddlebags of a white stallion by a particularly inquisitive stable boy who was rewarded with its grisly contents. The stable boy and most of those around him threw up, decorating the cobblestones with the remains of their breakfasts.

Under the boiling heat, the head of William's best general and brother began to stink awfully. The women bemoaned the death of one of the kingdom's greatest warriors (Leandros was well-known for his…extracurricular activities) until at last a sergeant of the city guard threaded through the crowd to see what all the fuss was about.

The sergeant, a veteran of several conflicts, placed the head inside a leather bag before carrying to the front gates of William's keep. The townsfolk followed behind, curious to find out what had befallen the king's brother.

Meanwhile, Hanson and his minion horde were happily slashing their way past any and all paladins that dared stand in the vengeful being's path. After a particularly stubborn pair of paladins had been felled, the Overlord awoke form his rage-fueled bloodlust to find himself on the very top floor of the tower. He looked around in disgust. Despite their professed humility, the paladins had chosen to furnish their outpost luxuriously, with soft carpets and expensive furniture being commonplace.

"I sense powerful magical energies behind that door on the left sire," Gnarl said through the mental link. "There's no telling what could be behind it, I advise caution."

Hanson could feel the magical energy in the air as well. It felt like the deep thrumming of a hibernating rock giant. The hairs on the back of the Overlord's neck went up. Whatever was behind the door, it certainly wasn't friendly.

Hanson slowly opened the door, the First Overlord's sword at the ready. The Overlord opened the door fully, only to regret it instantly. He felt himself being flung forward by an unknown power. As he flew, Hanson heard the door slam shut behind him, cutting the minions off from him.

The Overlord rose to his feet, head on a swivel as he surveyed the chamber he was in. It seemed to be some sort of throne room; the floor, walls, and windows were made of the purest white marble and inlaid with gold. Expensive banners hung from the ceiling and in the center of the room, there was a throne. With the curtains drawn on the windows, it was shrouded in shadows, but Hanson could see a shape sitting on the throne.

With a gesture form the mysterious being, the curtains flew open, momentarily stunning the Overlord and revealing the stranger. A man of interminable age sat upon the throne, clad in shining gold armor and a helmet that revealed little besides his eyes and mouth. The man seemed relaxed, friendly even, as he lifted his gaze. The paladin's mouth became taught and his eyes bored into the Overlord as the rest of his face became overcast with a scowl of pure rage.

"YOU!" he spat. "I killed you an entire millennium ago! Yet, you still haunt me. Perhaps you are nothing but a phantom."

"It seems he has mistaken you for the First Overlord sire," Gnarl murmured. "I can't believe that Lord Garrod is still alive! How could this be possible…unless."

"I am not who you think I am," Hanson began to advance on the paladin, who remained sitting.

"It is of no consequence who you really are. If you wear the armor of that light-forsaken Overlord, you will die by my hand, just like he did!"

With that, Garrod leapt forward from his throne, bringing his mighty hammer to bear. It was ancient, made of some stone and mounted on a grip of wood that was inlaid with gold and runes. The paladin swung horizontally, but Hanson caught the hammer with his blade and almost casually turned it aside. The hammer slammed into the floor, ripping through the marble and pulverizing the wood beneath.

"Sire, in case that demonstration wasn't enough, that hammer will kill you if it hits you with sufficient force," the minion master told the Overlord. Hanson made a mental note to kick Gnarl when he returned as he dodged another blow that pulverized a column and sent chunks of marble raining down on the two combatants.

"Stay still coward!" the paladin shouted as he swung once more, but much faster than before. The Overlord turned his black blade sideways and managed to deflect the blow back at his opponent.

"Sire, according to _The Evil History of the World_ the description matches. That truly is the progenitor of the entire paladin order. I wonder how he survived for all these years," Gnarl said after a delay.

"Noted," Hanson grunted as he ducked under another vicious swing.

As Garrod readied himself for another strike, Hanson leapt forward, slashing at the paladin from multiple angles. To any normal opponent, it would have seemed as though the Overlord wielded a dozen blades instead of one, but the paladin managed to deflect every strike, although some were very near misses.

Garrod then lashed out with an armored foot. Hanson blocked successfully, but looked up to see the grinning paladin executing an overhead strike.

"Master!" Gnarl piped up. "Use a shield spell!"

The Overlord lifted his left arm and cast shield, but not on himself. Hanson generated a bubble shield in the path of his opponent's hammer. Garrod brought his hammer down, oblivious to the shield until it was far too late to alter the hammer's path. The hammer collided with the shield a noise akin to a thunderclap.

Both combatants were thrown backwards as the shield was obliterated by the force of the blast. The force of the explosion burst through the roof, shattering masonry put in place countless years before. Red sunlight streamed in through the newly-formed window and revealed the forms of Garrod and Hanson as they struggled to their feet.

The Overlord rose to his feet, ignoring the pain that lanced through his body with every movement and groped around himself for his sword. Hanson's vision was blurred from the rubble that had impacted his helmet, but with a swift shake of his head, the confusion was gone.

Garrod was going through a similar process, his gold armor now covered in dust. The two men rose to continue their titanic battle, arcanium clashing against stone.

"It seems you are more than a match for me in my current state," Garrod panted as he paused after a particularly vicious bout. "It seems so," Hanson said as he readied himself once more.

"No longer!" Garrod intoned as he read a prayer to the Light in his mind. A golden-white aura surrounded the paladin, making him brighter than the sun would ever be, even in its zenith. The Overlord had to shield his eyes from the glare, and that was when Garrod launched his decisive offensive.

Hanson managed to dodge the first strike, which obliterated the remains of the walls with its passage, as unlikely as it seemed, the door that barred the Overlord from his minions remained intact however. The fight was now finally visible to the world. As the shower of rock rained on both men, Garrod swung again, this time straight at the Overlord's head. Hanson barely managed to muster the strength to block and the hammer caused him to skid back a few feet.

As the hammed connected with the arcanium blade, the Overlord began to feel weaker and weaker. He looked up to see that the paladin seemed to be growing stronger.

"It seems his hammer absorbs the energy of other magical beings," Gnarl said unnecessarily. "That must have been what caused the death of the First Overlord and allowed him to live so long. You could try to pierce the hammer's head. The result could be you getting your power back, or a very large explosion. Both work in the end."

Hanson seriously doubted that a large explosion could be anything less than lethal, but resolved to give it a try anyway.

The sun had risen enough to become yellow instead of its dawn shade as Hanson spun away from Garrod. The Overlord focused all of his power into his blade, awakening some ancient part of the sword. A slight halo of black flame surrounded the onyx-colored blade, almost unnoticeable.

With a cry, the Overlord charged at the smug paladin. Garrod, who was formerly assured of victory, was suddenly forced to defend himself from the furious blows that rained upon his defenses. Hanson forced the paladin back with a fierce slash and readied himself for what he hoped would be the final bout in this duel. The fighters had swapped their position from the beginning of the fight. The Overlord's back was to the golden throne, the only piece of the throne room that remained other than the door.

"Let's finish this," Hanson said as he stepped forward and kicked the paladin in the shin. Garrod doubled over and the Overlord thrust forward with his deadly blade. Despite everything, the hammer came up to intercept the sword point. As soon as the point made contact with the hammer's stone head, the slight halo of flame became an inferno that surpassed the light emitted by Garrod.

The world seemed to darken as the blade hungrily drank the energy within the paladin's hammer. With every moment, the light faded and the darkness grew stronger. Hanson stared in wonder as the mighty paladin before him seemed to age a thousand years in a few seconds. Soon, nothing was left of Garrod except his armor and helmet. The hammer fell to the ground; its head shattered and the haft now a useless stave.

"That went better than expected," Gnarl voiced his satisfaction over the psychic link. "If my suspicions are correct, the Tower Heart's opposite is beneath that throne."

Hanson kicked open the throne room door to find his minions waiting patiently, playing with the corpses of the slain paladins, using their heads and limbs as game pieces in some macabre form of entertainment. The Overlord couldn't help but smile at the child-like actions of his most ruthless soldiers.

His minions quickly shifted the throne to reveal a pyramid-shaped crystal roughly the same size as the Tower Heart that glowed with white light.

"It seems my suspicions were correct sire," Gnarl said. "If you were to destroy that crystal, the paladin's power would be greatly reduced, which would give you a decisive advantage in the climactic battle you're sure to fight against William soon. Alternatively, you could take the crystal for yourself, which would allow you to legitimize your future claims on the throne as well as increase your power somewhat. The people of this realm would be only too happy to accept another 'paladin king' after the current one suffers an…unfortunate accident."

Author's Note: Now, the fun begins. You my dear readers get to decide what happens next. Domination or Destruction, what will it be? PM me with your votes (Destruction: destroy the crystal, Domination: keep it), and I will count them and determine the result. Until next time.

As always, please make comments and suggestions! R. Overlord


	32. Chapter 32

Author's Note: My term paper writing spree is almost at an end, but finals are next week. I can't promise more than one or two updates during this time. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Be sure to let me know what you think!

Overkhryak: Romance begins…now. Mischief will be later.

Manakete King: Hey there, welcome to our little literary family. I'm glad you love this fic as much as I love to write it.

Spitting Faerie: Romance looms on the horizon. As for the maid thing, I meant to write Royal Hair and/or Clothing Specialists. ;)

Disclaimer: My characters are mine, Overlord is someone else's

**Chapter XXXII: Curiosity Killed the Princess**

"I've waited years to take my revenge," the Overlord said. "I can wait a little longer." He motioned to the minions who were milling about aimlessly. Five browns surged forward and seized the pyramid before heaving it up onto their shoulders…before disintegrating into gold-colored dust.

"It seems that the paladins haven't left their most precious artifact unprotected," Gnarl mused. "Perhaps your sword could assist in breaking their spell."

Hanson plunged his sword into the heart of the crystal, but pausing when a spider web crack emerged outwards from the sword point.

"Careful sire," Gnarl cautioned. "Rupturing the crystal could cause a cataclysmic explosion."

The Overlord withdrew the sword and instead laid his left hand on the pyramid. The crystal darkened, its white light turning red and black. Almost immediately, Hanson felt his own power increase. It was a subtle change, almost unnoticeable, but there none the less.

"It seems that the paladins' crystal has accepted you as its new master!" Gnarl exclaimed. "That means that you can now use this tower as an outpost. This second tower heart will allow you to use this tower's teleporter. Oh, and don't worry about the hearts fighting over you like jealous mistresses. They are united in their purpose: serving the Overlord."

The Overlord lifted his eyebrow slightly at the comment, but shrugged it off as one of Gnarl's typical witticisms. Hanson motioned the remaining minions to follow him to the White Tower's newly re-activated teleporter. It was time to go home.

William sat in his throne room, pondering the death of his brother, his head in his hands. "How could it have come to this?" He asked the captain of his guard.

"With respect milord," the soldier began. "It seems that the elves have begun a war with humanity. We have ceased to receive messages from our embassy in Evernight. I fear that we will receive their heads soon enough."

"This cannot go unpunished," William murmured. "Light save me, but I cannot simply ignore the death of my brother!" The paladin king sighed and put his head back in his hands weeping bitterly.

"Sire, there is a messenger from the White Tower," a steward said as he kneeled in front of his king.

"Can't it wait?" William was in no state receive more messages of any kind.

"I'm afraid he was very insistent. He said it was very urgent."

"Very well, send him in."

A paladin limped into the throne room, his armor broken and bettered, no longer white, but a dull grey. His cloak was torn in half a dozen places and he bled from several wounds along his arms. The paladin collapsed onto his knees before looking up at William.

"Sire," he gasped. "There's been an attack on the White Tower. I think that most, if not all, are dead." The paladin collapsed from his wounds and several attendants rushed over to the fallen man.

"Treat his wounds and assemble my personal guard. We are going to the White Tower," William ordered to his captain before retreating to his private quarters.

Elizabeth gazed in wonder as her father moved towards the steps to his private armory. In all her life, the princess had only seen her father this grim was when she brought news of her brother's death after his return from the Northlands.

The crown princess hesitated, and then made her decision. She rushed off to her chambers. Elizabeth threw on a simple tunic and pants and a dark cloak to hide her appearance and mask her gender. This wasn't the first time she had snuck out of the palace and she was-versed in rudimentary stealth.

The princess made her way towards the White Tower, the daylight revealed that parts of the roof had been removed forcibly with violent explosions. Elizabeth's resolve shook slightly, but she continued onwards.

It quickly became apparent that something was wrong as the princess approached the White Tower. The paved courtyard was devoid of any life besides her and the sound of her boots was the only threat to the deathly silence that had covered the plaza like a burial shroud.

Inside, there was nothing but silence and the remains of some titanic battle. Corpses lay everywhere, their blood covering the white marble walls and floors. The deathly silence persisted as Elizabeth began to climb the stairs to the top of the tower.

On the top floor, the princess was inexplicably drawn to a room that visually seemed ordinary, but something about it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. As she inched forward, Elizabeth heard the first sounds she had heard since entering the tower.

The princess peeked around the corner to see a man clad in dark and spiky armor step on what she recognized as a teleporter and vanish in a flare of blue light. Curious, she maneuvered around the corner and carefully walked towards the still-glowing circle in the floor. Every ounce of common sense she had warned her not to touch the teleporter, but Elizabeth couldn't resist. The instant her finger made contact with the stone, she felt herself being forcibly yanked forward at an incredible speed into a forbidding darkness.

The Overlord emerged from the Tower Portal and sighed. Hanson took his helmet off and placed it near the basin that was the portal before gazing around his Throne Room.

"Welcome back sire," the minion master emerged from his usual hiding place behind one of the many pillars and bowed to the Overlord. "I believe there is a certain someone who wishes to greet you personally."

"Really?" Hanson muttered, confused. "Who?" The minion master stared at his Overlord incredulously before shutting his eyes momentarily. _Still a child_, the wizened minion thought.

"Assira wishes to see you sire," Gnarl clarified, stroking his white beard. "I suggest you go up to the private quarters." Hanson stood as still as a statue. "Now."

The Overlord nodded and slowly began his journey upstairs. As he ascended, Hanson tried to expel the nervousness that began to eat at him. _It's funny_, he mused. _I can wipe numerous lives from existence without blinking and yet I can't face one woman._

As he reached the door to his private quarters, the Overlord swore he heard the shadowy demon inside him laugh as softly as the wind. Hanson gulped nervously and took a deep breath before reaching for the door handle. The door opened soundlessly and the Overlord took a tentative step inside.

Assira sat in a leather armchair, reading _Cooking for Evildoers: the Basic Steps to preparing Fantastic Beasts for Dinner._ The candles and torches made her red hair glow in the light. Her simple black dress contrasted with the fact that she was anything but. The former thief looked at the sound of Hanson's footfalls, a smile caressing her face, her green eyes igniting at the sight of his familiar silhouette in the darkness.

"Welcome back," she said as she rose, putting the book away. "It's been a while since we last spoke.

The Overlord walked over, taking one of her warm hands between his cold metal gauntlets. "My lady," he said with a smile as he leaned towards her. Their lips met in a fiery explosion of passion as Hanson pulled Assira closer to him. The thief sighed happily when the two broke apart and snaked her arms around the Overlord's neck, placing her head on his breastplate. "I missed you," she said. "I thought you would leave me to the paladins. I was so happy when I saw Gnarl on the other side of that cell door."

"Careful of the spikes," Hanson murmured as an answer. Assira giggled quietly. "You're already prickly, and now you have armor spikes. Everything has a limit you know."

The exchange was broken by a series of shrieks coming from below. "What was that?" The Overlord asked himself as much as the woman in his arms, his brow furrowing in confusion.

Wordlessly, he reluctantly untangled himself from Assira and began to walk downstairs, the thief following.

Elizabeth emerged from the Tower Portal and spotted the helmet of the strange man she had followed resting on the marble floor.

"Who might you be?" A voice asked. The princess looked up to see an old creature in a ragged robe. The light shone on her face and the creature's glowing yellow eyes widened in surprise. "The crown princess, eh? Seize her!"

Elizabeth was immediately set upon by five creatures she recognized as minions from her father's stories. "Thi-this is the Overlord's stronghold, isn't it?" She asked.

"I always knew you were a bright one as soon as the Overlord set his eyes upon you," the creature said with a slight bow. "I am Gnarl, devoted servant of darkness. Welcome to the Overlord's Tower. I trust you will be cooperative. You are much too petty to hurt."

Elizabeth couldn't believe her ears. Her father told her that the Light had been triumphant, that Evil had been wiped out. The thought of torture was more that the princess could bear. She screamed.

The Overlord strode down the stairs, the nervous young man of a few minutes earlier replaced by an entity as steely as the Arcanium armor he wore. He saw Elizabeth, her golden hair spilling out of the cloak she wore being restrained by five browns. Hanson saw her eyes upon him and realized that his helmet was on the edge the Tower Portal. He tried to turn around and retreat upstairs, but it was too late.

"Sir Ryrin?" Elizabeth asked incredulously. "Is that you?" With a sigh, Hanson descended to the floor of the Throne Room and waved the browns away as he walked to the throne.

The Overlord sat down on the smooth stone, his head resting on his right hand. Elisabeth took several tentative steps forward, relieved to see that the minions no longer seemed to be hostile.

"Is this what-what you really are?" the princess asked, her voice breaking slightly as she kept moving towards the throne. "Yes," Hanson replied. "Surprised?"

"Not really," Elizabeth admitted her demeanor changing. "I thought I felt darkness in you when I kissed you that night."

The Overlord said nothing, just raised one eyebrow in mute surprise.

"You are the one I have been waiting for!" the princess declared. "I'm so tired of waiting to be married off for politics. I want to live…to indulge myself." Elizabeth kept walking until she was right next to the Overlord. Hanson felt her hot breath in his ear as she said "I could be your Queen. Any ruler needs a right hand."

"Excuse me?" Assira had silently descended the stairs while Elizabeth was making her advances. "I believe that's my Overlord you're fawning over. Go find yourself another one, this one's taken."

"Oh look, Lord Alveren's lost daughter surfaces at last," Elizabeth said with a sneer, her eyes narrowed. "I heard rumors that you had gone…feral. Lived in the woods with thieves. It seems the rumors were wrong. How has it been, bedding the most powerful man in the world?"

Assira looked ready to murder Elizabeth on the spot, but luckily Gnarl decided to intervene. "Ladies, as entertaining as it would be to watch the two of you tear each other to shreds, it is ultimately up to the Overlord who stays and who leaves. The Tower can have only one mistress…unfortunately."

The two continued to stare daggers and all manner of sharp implements at each other. Gnarl sighed. _It always comes down to this. Two strong-willed women fighting over a single man. I hope you choose wisely sire, _the minion master thought.

"Sire, what is your decision?"

Author's note: Once again, I bring you more reader interactivity! Who will be the sole mistress of our Overlord? Let me know! Until next time.

As always, please make comments and suggestions! R. Overlord


	33. Chapter 33

**Author's Note: **By the Nine, the Gods, or whatever deity you recognize, it's been too long since I updated this. School has ended and I'm finally free… to procrastinate and not update. I promise to be more prompt next time. Enjoy the Overlord's decision.

Spitting Faerie: I'm glad you enjoyed my attempt at humor. I will develop Elizabeth's character more now, since she (spoiler alert) lives in the Tower now. As for visuals, I'll try to be as good as I was before. Please alert me if I go astray.

Overkhryak: I shall spare the mistresses the pain of romancing a refrigerator. If Elizabeth wasn't playing her own game, this wouldn't be any fun, would it?

Manakete King: I'll keep writing, thanks for the vote of confidence.

Lord of the Tsurani: Unless my eyes deceive me, I haven't seen you here before. In that case, welcome, and thanks for the complement. :D

General Herbison: While I like your plan immensely, I believe mine is simpler.

Disclaimer: Overlord blah blah Codemasters, OCs blah blah me.

**Chapter XXXIII: The Sacking of Evernight**

The Overlord hesitated, unsure of which woman to pick as his mistress. As his head swiveled back and forth, Gnarl decided to intervene.

"Sire, it has occurred to me that although there are two potential mistresses, there are also two towers! The paladins' residence could be restored and rebuilt as your center of power in the human lands instead of that monochromatic and abhorrently white palace."

Hanson glanced at the minion master, inwardly grateful for the chance to appease both parties in the conflict.

"Very well then, I shall do as Gnarl suggests. Both of you shall remain here until my war for dominance is over."

The two mistresses bowed to the Overlord and retreated from the throne. "How goes Chojash's campaign against the elves?" Hanson asked, turning to the minion master.

"I believe that he is about to enter their capital." "Excellent. It is time to dominate the elves and rid myself of another loose end."

The Overlord rose from the throne and slipped his helmet over his head. "My ladies, I'm afraid that duty calls for me to attend to the destruction of the elves." With a grim smile that went unnoticed because of the deep shadows shrouding his face, Hanson vanished into the Tower Portal.

On the outskirts of the elven capital, Chojash was preparing for his final assault. To call it a city would not have done it justice. The buildings were a part of the living forest, nestled among the green boughs. Magical lights provided all the illumination the sun could not, lighting up the forest floor in an unnatural blue light. The only true "building" by human standards was the massive temple of the Mother Goddess, the elves' deity.

The beauty of the forest stronghold was lost on the bandit leader as he scratched his belly and idly nibbled on the grapes one of his slaves had offered him.

"Come on, get up and lead your army!" Chojash's mother said as she prodded her son. The bandit lord grumbled as he stood up off of the throne his slaves carried him around on and stretched, his expensive tunic lifting up to expose the generous gut Chojash had cultivated. Sufficiently limbered, the bandit ambled over to a platform that had been erected at the center of the camp.

"My warriors," he began, stifling a burp. "You have fought admirably, and our battles are almost over. I ask you to take this city and then you shall all be rewarded with plunder and all the women you could ever want!"

The assembled warriors cheered, thrusting their weapons skyward. "Gather the torches for one last bonfire! We shall burn the elves out of their hiding places and assume dominance over this realm!" With a great roar, the bandits streamed towards the elven city, torches raised in preparation for slaughter.

Commander Vesc stood on one of the many platforms that blended seamlessly in with the trees. All around him, and on other platforms, the remains of the ranger corps stood ready, faces grim, arrows already on the strings of their bows.

"Make no mistake, today we fight for our very survival as a species. Make every arrow count. Repay each fallen brother with the deaths of twenty humans!" Vesc roared as he saw what he perceived to be William's army gather for a charge.

The Overlord appeared on the stone platform that was the gate in Evernight. "It seems that the battle is about to begin sire and the zeal is thick in the air. May I suggest waiting until the two armies bloody each other sufficiently for you to step in and claim power?" Gnarl said through the psychic link.

Hanson sat down on the platform and relaxed, legs dangling as he watched the two warring races prepare for their final battle.

Assira watched the Overlord walk towards the Tower Portal in disbelief. She was so sure that Hanson would simply send the princess packing. Instead, she now had to share her Overlord. In the mind of the thief, that was simply unacceptable. She was so lost in thought that she did not notice that Elizabeth had walked over to her and was now smiling sweetly.

"I don't believe that we have properly met. I hope you forgive me for what I said back there," the princess said as she nervously tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. "I was frightened that Ry." She paused and corrected herself. "…Hanson would send me back home to my overbearing father and stuffy ministers. Now, for the first time in my life, I am truly free."

Assira nodded cautiously, not sure how to proceed. The change Elizabeth had exhibited was more than enough for the thief to be on her toes at all times around the other woman. "I hope that we shall be good friends," the princess continued. "I wish only the best for the Overlord and all those close to him, which now includes you."

Elizabeth seemed sincere, so Assira smiled and held out her hand to her fellow mistress. "Come, I'll give you a tour of the place."

In Evernight, the grass was splattered in the blood of men and elves alike as bandits and elven rangers fought to the death in the enchanted wood. Fires that had been begun by torches had become uncontrollable blazes, lighting up the forest and sending columns of smoke towards the heavens. Night had fallen, and the only light was provided by the raging fires and the magic lights that still hovered in the air, refusing to let darkness claim the scenes of carnage.

"Ah the destruction!" Gnarl commented. "I haven't seen such blazes since the third Overlord. He was quite the pyromaniac as I recall. Unfortunately, it did get the best of him when he tried setting a phoenix on fire. He did burn remarkably well."

The Overlord might as well have been a statue as he gazed down onto the scenes of violence below. Hanson slowly rose as he saw the fight was beginning to die down. With a wave of his left arm, a horde of minions emerged from the gates and formed into a skirmish line.

The onyx armored titan descended the steps from the portal to the blood-stained grass, the minions fanning out in anticipation of the battle to come. The Overlord raised his arm once more, and the minions charged towards his selected target: a group of bandits who had stopped to loot the temple and were now dragging priestesses outside.

"Look at this one," a bandit shouted as he emerged from the hut, his hand clutching at the arm of an elven woman. Her face, surrounded by dark hair, was stained with tears and she was weakly fighting against the much larger man. "You better not let the chief see that beauty, or he'll take 'er for sure," another said, half turning.

The two failed to notice the minions bearing down on them until a brown thrust his spear through the chest of the one who had turned to assess his comrade's spoils. The bandit fell to the ground, blood bubbling up from his mouth, further tainting the ground.

The one gripping the woman did not last much longer, as a red had flung a fireball at him, igniting the man instantly. The bandit began a macabre waltz with Death, but the minions had already passed him, inflicting death upon all that stood in their way.

The Overlord approached the elf woman, who had fallen when the bandit had released her. She looked up at her perceived savior with gratitude and hope brimming in her eyes.

"Do you want revenge on those who have done this to you?" Hanson whispered seductively as he bent over the elf. She nodded silently, her eyes dark and full of hate, the deep shadows emphasizing her fine features.

The Overlord looked to his right, where the minions had surrounded the only survivor of the attack. Surprisingly, he showed no fear when the black-armored man approached.

"Is everything ready?" Hanson asked. "Yes," the bandit replied with a bow. The servants are armed and ready to end Chojash and his mother once and for all."

"Excellent," the Overlord said, nodding in satisfaction. "You may begin, but take her with you," he said, pointing to the priestess. The bandit bowed once more and offered his arm and a dagger to the elf woman. "Milady, your revenge awaits."

Vesc stood on the grass, surrounded by the slain of friend and foe alike. The commander was long since out of arrows and had drawn his twin swords instead. The dead humans that lay around him gave mute testament to his skill, but the elf was near his limit. Vesc's breath came in gasps and he bled from a number of wounds. The elf had collapsed to his knees, blades dug into the ground in an attempt to stand up.

"Your struggle is lost," a harsh voice said. Vesc looked up to see the towering form of the Overlord standing over him. "Watch as your pathetic race is enslaved." The ranger roared in anger and attempted to stand. Hanson just laughed darkly and drove his armored boot into the elf's side.

"At least give me…an honorable death," the ranger panted. "I have no need to bloody my blade. You are inconsequential. Your wounds shall be your end."

The bandit lord's pavilion on the outskirts of the battle was larger than some huts. It was lit by lanterns and serviced by enslaved women, both elven and human. In the center, Chojash sat upon a wooden chair, his feet resting on cushions.

The bandit lord leaned on the armrest of his makeshift throne and huffed impatiently. "How much longer? I'm getting tired of waiting for these miserable elves to collapse!" "Patience my son," his mother admonished. "Victory comes to those who wait."

The pavilion flap opened to admit one of Chojash's soldiers and a striking elf maiden. The bandit lord sat up in interest, his eyes capturing the woman's fine features. "My lord, I bring you a girlie fit for a king! She, was a priestess in that large temple your lordship spotted earlier." the bandit said with a bow. "Indeed," Chojash replied, beckoning the priestess closer with a fat finger. "Let's see you in proper light."

At an almost imperceptible nod from the bandit soldier, the rest of the slaves began to inch closer to their lord, knives beginning to appear out of their sleeves and bodices. "The Mother Goddess strikes you down invader!" the priestess cried as she produced a dagger of her own and plunged it into Chojash's chest.

The rest of the slaves descended on the bandit lord and his mother, hacking them apart with their weapons.

The Overlord advanced towards his target: the Mother Goddess temple. Somewhere inside, he could feel Oberon and the elvish council huddling, waiting for the fighting to end.

"Sire, I wouldn't put it past those crafty elves to set up ambushes and traps along the way. May I suggest an alternate entrance?" Hanson paused in midstride, his minions halting behind him. "I'm open to suggestions."

"If I recall correctly, there is an old passageway hidden in the roots of that tree," Elizabeth's voice floated through the link. The two mistresses had returned to the Throne Room and were observing the action. "When I was young…er, my father brought me to Evernight to visit his ally Oberon. I accidentally fell in the passage, but after following it, I emerged into a tall chamber that housed the statue of the Mother Goddess."

"I recommend securing that statue sire," Gnarl interrupted. "Once the elves see that their precious deity is in your evil clutches, they will doubtlessly surrender."

The Overlord then began to move towards the tree indicated, his head roving back and forth as he looked for the entrance to the passage. After randomly poking at knots in the trunk, the roots shifted, opening the entrance of a yawning cave. Hanson strode inside without a second thought, the darkness shrouding his in its embrace.

**Author's Note: **Please review, and remember to point out errors and make suggestions!


	34. Chapter 34

A/N: The Gods of the Earth were kind enough to inform me in an inter-office memo that I was severely lagging behind on finishing this monstrosity I had created. I have spent these last few months (feels like a few eons) planning the plot out (believe it or not I was writing this off of the top of my head most of the time). I apologize for being gone for so long without any explanation, but I have returned to finish this in a manner as glorious and true to the series' heart as possible (satire and sarcasm aplenty). This is a small New Year's gift to my loyal fanbase who gave me a chance to prove that I could tell an engaging story. I thank you from the bottom of black heart. I also changed my name for convenience reasons.

TL;DR: I'm back. Should update more often. Changed my name.

Enjoy!

PS: I won't answer reviews from the previous chapter as I want to upload this ASAP. Next chapter I hope to return to SOP.

**Chapter XXXIV: I've heard Nordberg is lovely this time of year**

Hanson gazed around the passage he had entered, trying to determine his next move. The tunnel was clearly laid by the dwarves, as it was both wide and high, with an arched ceiling the top of which disappeared into shadow. The passage was lit with torches placed every few feet which revealed a cobbled floor and walls that had been skillfully crafted to look like the maw of some legendary beast long forgotten.

"Well this is quite strange," Elizabeth said hands on hips as she peered into the tower portal. "This wasn't here when I last fell in." "Perhaps the elves commissioned additional stonework from the dwarves," Gnarl proposed. "The real question here, is why?" "There's nothing for it," the Overlord interrupted. "There is only one way to find out."

He began to move down the hallway, the minion horde following slightly behind when suddenly the passage seemed to end. The stonework and torches disappeared, replaced by utter darkness. "What the?" Hanson muttered as he peered into the gloom. "Perhaps the tunnel was an illusion," Gnarl murmured. The Overlord shrugged and ignited a fireball in his palm. The bright orange flames chased away the darkness somewhat and revealed the earthen tunnel that Elizabeth remembered.

Hanson put one gloved hand on a wall and began to move forward. After a few minutes, he felt a gap in the wall and turned to face the discovered passage. Unlike the original passage, this one was completely cylindrical, more like a pipe than a passageway and much larger. "I would advise against going in there sire," Gnarl cautioned. "There's no telling what could be lurking inside." "Or it could be the way out." Hanson replied. "This passage looks like the main road while the one we came in seems to have been an offshoot."

With that, the Overlord turned and entered the circular tunnel, feeding more power to the flames in his hand as he did so to light up more of the area. As expected, the tunnel lead on and on, further than the light of Hanson's flames could reach.

The Overlord and his minions followed the deserted passage for some time and despite the occasional rocks tripping some minions, progress was smooth. Eventually, Hanson began to notice a dull thrumming that only seemed to be affecting him.

"I notice it as well sire, but only because I'm sharing your senses," Gnarl said through his telepathic link. "I'm not sure what it is you're sensing, but I recommend caution." _Your powers have grown immensely, if you're able to sense something like __**that**__ from far away," _the minion master thought to himself. _The ancient Cha'Kata tunneling worm will prove a worthy challenge for your newfound powers._

The attack came unexpectedly, fitting that of an ambush predator. One of the tunnel walls suddenly collapsed, revealing a blindingly bright blue light. As Hanson reeled, armored arm over his eyes, the worm emerged and snagged several minions. As his eyes became more accustomed to the light, the Overlord saw the massive creature in front of him in all of its crystalline glory. It was made entirely out of what appeared to be semi-translucent crystal that made up its armored shell. Its head was as thick as its pillar-like body and ended in a pair of feelers. At around twenty feet in length, the massive beast brushed the top of the tunnel ceiling and had several coils looping on the floor.

It gobbled the minions with its toothy maw, turning Hanson's loyal soldiers into multicolored mush before turning on the Overlord, its massive jagged teeth dripping with minion essence. It almost looked like it was grinning. As Hanson braced himself for the worm's onslaught, the creature abruptly ceased to give off light, shrouding the tunnel in darkness once again. The Overlord barely had time for his eyes to widen before the worm's armored tail slammed into his side, sending him through the hole it had just made in the tunnel wall.

Hanson winced as he felt his ribs break against the unyielding Arcanium as he careened through total darkness. With a thud, his armored figure came to a halt against the earthen floor. Faintly, the Overlord could hear Assira, Elizabeth, and Gnarl shouting something inaudible through the link he shared with them. His brain tried to process it all, but it was a hopeless task. Nerves, ears, eyes, and psychic ears begged for attention that he could not give. The Overlord's vision swam as he struggled to rise to his feet.

Hanson heard, rather than saw, the next strike coming. Unfortunately, with his untrained ears he could barely make out the direction of the strike. The Overlord raised his sword just in time to be grabbed by the arm and hurled against the opposite wall.

Blood began to flow out of Hanson's mouth as he struggled to rise to his feet. The Overlord reached for his sword only to discover that he had lost when the worm had grabbed him by the arm. The armor on his right arm was ripped apart by the worm's savage strength, barely intact from the punishment it had suffered.

Hanson brought up his left hand to conjure light and was relieved when the flames appeared and cast a warm red glow around him. The worm however, seemed to have all but vanished. As the Overlord looked around, his vision becoming more and more obscured as blood flowed into his eyes and his wounds took their toll, a nagging feeling told him to close his eyes and focus.

Out of options, Hanson closed his eyes and dispelled the light, shrouding himself in the darkness. However, instead of losing his sight, it seemed to amplify. The world around him achieved much greater clarity and sharpness. The Overlord knew where the next attack was coming from and almost casually rolled to the side despite the pain as the worm dropped from the ceiling, frothing at the mouth in anticipation of such tasty prey.

A/N: Review please! It helps keep me going and sometimes provides more story ideas.


	35. Chapter 35

A/N: Whew. I'm back again with the next installment of this epic tale of (insert adjective here).

LittleKing9512: Well, this one's longer, so…yeah.

Zero612: Welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself.

Manakete King: Yes, the delay was almost completely my fault. As for taking both, there's a whole plotline I have cooking in my brain that could go a few a different ways depending on the destruction/domination choices you guys and gals make.

General Herbison: Bomb beetles are for nooby Overlords. Real men…well, read on.

Wanhope: Thank you. I think two mistresses is already enough as it is. I'm already bending the Overlording rules by allowing two in the Dark Tower.

Today's chapter is brought to you by Dark Side of the Moon, Let it Bleed, Sticky Fingers, and Black and Blue as those were the albums that I listened to while writing it.

**Disclaimer: I now Overlord! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! No, just kidding. I only own my OC's which happen to take up 90% of the characters in this fic. In fact, Gnarl and Giblet are the only main characters created by the developers. Enjoy.**

**Chapter XXXV: Kill It with Fire**

The worm slammed into the patch of earth Hanson had previously occupied, its mass kicking sufficient amounts of loose earth to provide the Overlord with a momentary smokescreen to reevaluate his situation. Despite the mysterious new vision granted to him, Hanson had no intention of pushing his luck. The Overlord's right arm was thoroughly mauled by the worm's previous attack, and the Arcanium blade was at the other end of the chamber. _Advantages: Left arm wields magic. Smaller size means more maneuverability. New sight eliminates worm's ambush tactics. Disadvantages: Right arm broken and bleeding heavily. No weapons left. _These thoughts flew through the Overlord's head at light speed as he examined the temporarily confused worm with his new eyes. It appeared shocked that its prey had evaded its maw so far.

The beast had thick layers of armor plating that were made of some flexible material and thus there were no gaps in its hide. The worm's belly was covered by the same plates which left the Overlord with only one feasible alley of attack: eyes and mouth.

As Hanson worked out his plan of action, the worm homed in on his location and rose to its full height, ready to strike. Its maw opened teeth ready to tear through the hapless human that had managed to avoid it thus far. The Cha'Kata surged forward only for its teeth to meet earth again as the Overlord rolled back a short distance. The impact of the creature's head caused minor shockwaves as the earth rumbled in sympathy and Hanson almost lost his footing before charging towards the worm's head. As he neared its massive form, the Overlord charged his left gauntlet with fire magic, an aura of bright orange flames bursting into light. The creature turned its massive head and opened its mouth for another strike.

Hanson smiled grimly in the dark and unleashed the built up flames, the inferno soaring towards the worm and scattering the darkness. Somewhere in its primitive mind, the beast recognized that this prey was tougher than any that had come before, but as the thought was churning through its brain, the flames connected with the worm's wide open mouth.

The Cha'Kata were a species adept at underground predation, their hunting instincts honed over the millennia they spent hunting primitive dwarves and other subterranean dwellers. Even when the worms had been all but driven to extinction by the dwarves they had been killed by enchanted weaponry and sheer overwhelming numbers. While an offshoot of the species colonized the Ruborian desert, those that remained dug themselves deep into the earth and waited in a state of hibernation. Over the centuries, all but one had perished for various reasons, the most famous incident having been two hundred years previously when a farmer had accidentally run across the burrow of one of the worms while plowing his fields. The half-asleep worm had gobbled up the farmer, his plow, most of the household, and the first battalion of guards that had come before disappearing underground.

None of those instincts could help against the wild beasts' most famous enemy: fire. Hanson's inferno ignited the worm's tongue and other sensitive tissue, sending waves of pain surging through its nervous system. As the Cha'Kata writhed in agony, the Overlord rushed over to the other side of the room to pick up his fallen blade. Luckily, Gnarl had had the foresight to make sure Hanson was trained ambidextrously. The Overlord gripped the familiar hilt in his left hand and prepared to finish the writhing worm off.

By this time however, the creature had put the flames out by biting into the earth and stifling the fire through lack of oxygen. Through his new sight, Hanson could tell the creature was none too pleased about the state of affairs. In fact, it looked absolutely murderous. The Overlord tightened his grip on his sword before rushing forward. The worm lashed out with its tail, but Hanson managed to barely avoid the sweeping appendage.

While sprinting forward, the Overlord focused all of his mana into the Arcanium blade until it was positively bursting with power. As the worm opened its mouth to hiss threateningly, Hanson released the pent up energy in a beam the width of his blade. The mana scythed through the air with a unearthly shriek before penetrating the roof of the worm's mouth and piercing its brain.

The lifeless corpse dropped to the ground, kicking up more loose earth as in its postmortem twitching. The Overlord sank to his knees in relief before submitting to his body's desire to lie down. As the adrenaline haze began to retreat, Hanson began to hear the voices of Gnarl and his two mistresses over the psychic link.

"Can you hear me sire?" The minion master asked for what felt like the millionth time. "Yeah," Hanson murmured as he gazed at the ceiling. The mysterious sight he had acquired brought the world around him into much greater focus. The level of visible detail had increased to the point that the Overlord could see the tiny imperfections in the earthen ceiling above. "Sire, your minions are coming to retrieve you, so I recommend not moving until they get there. After that, it would be best for you to return to the tower."

"No, there's still work to be done. The elves are here somewhere and I will find them before they slip away," Hanson replied. "I'm still in fighting shape" he lied as the retreating adrenaline exposed him to the waves of pain that his right arm and ribs were issuing. A short while later, the Overlord's minion horde entered the room, the reds acting as portable torches while the browns lugged a massive chest inside. The minions heaved the chest's lid open and produced three flasks: red, blue, and green.

"These potions will restore you sire," Gnarl said over the link. "If you're dead set on continuing, at least drink these." Hanson pulled off his helmet, bit into the cork of the red potion and pulled it out before spitting the cork away. From the first gulp, the effects of the red potion were apparent. The Overlord's right arm began to stitch itself together, broken bones reforming instantaneously and wounds sealing themselves up. Hanson flexed his right arm and once satisfied took the blue bottle. Its elixir restored the mana the Overlord had used up and the green's removed Hanson's fatigue like it was nothing more than a troublesome insect.

Feeling stronger than he had in the last few hours, the Overlord leapt to his feet and took a few experimental swings with his sword. Except for his torn armor, Hanson was back to the peak of health. "Sire, while your new vision is advantageous, I recommend not using it for the time being as it drains you unnecessarily," Gnarl piped up again. With a shrug of acquiescence the Overlord returned his blade to its sheath and conjured a small ball of fire to light his surroundings before withdrawing the mana flowing to his eyes. The world returned to its multicolored state and it was only then that Hanson realized that the new sight he possessed saw the world in various shades of black and white. The Overlord blinked owlishly as his eyes got used to the light and placed the Arcanium helmet back onto his head.

"Judging from the location of the worm's den, I would have to assume that the elves did not come by here at all," Assira said thoughtfully, resting her chin oh her hands as she gazed into the magical pool that was the tower portal. Hanson nodded and began to stride out of the chamber towards the tunnel that had led him into the beast's grasp. Once back inside the rectangular passage, the Overlord began to follow it once again, minions in tow.

The journey was uneventful except for the steady increase in heat the longer the group followed the tunnel. Soon, the temperature in the tunnel rivaled that of the jungle forest Everlight and Hanson began to sweat under the layers of armor. Behind him, the minions began to argue about what was causing the heat to rise. "I bets thwee maggots that Blaze is the one!" a brown called Spur argued. He had received the name from his weapon: a riding boot with shiny gold spurs, the unfortunate rider's leg still attached. The red minion in question stuck out his tongue and blew a flaming raspberry at Spur.

"No, no," a green called Flash said. He had received his name (and the accompanying scar over his right eye) after he had "accidentally" (or so he claimed) walked in on Assira while the mistress was changing. The woman's fury had rivaled that of an elder dragon and the only reason Flash had survived the onslaught of knives and other lethal thrown object with only a scar was because of his unusually good survival instincts. The minion dove inside of a bathtub that was filled to the brim with soapy water and thus hid himself from view and lost the smell greens were known for in one fell swoop.

"I bets it's because someone light fire ahead of us," Flash said. "I smell magic," a blue called Lucky said. Lucky had lost his left eye in the first war Hanson's adoptive father had had with William. During one training session with Hanson, Lucky lost his right leg below the knee and had to hop around on one foot for days until a suitable peg leg had been found. A few years later, Lucky lost his left ear to a particularly zealous farmer's axe. When Hanson had asked why the minion was named Lucky, Gnarl had sighed and handed the young Overlord a book titled _How to Use Irony for Dummies. _The book's title, as Hanson later found out, was also ironic.

The Overlord spotted a light ahead and doused his fire before cautiously moving forward. The party emerged from the tunnel into a large well-lit chamber that resembled a courtyard. The floor was inlaid with cobblestone and there was a tall, vaulted ceiling supported by stone pillars. There were large fires lit at orderly intervals to light up the area. At the other end of the chamber there was iron-wrought wooden gate guarded by several platoons of elves in ornate ceremonial armor.

The guards turned to face the intruders as Hanson approached and stiffened with fear. The Overlord had not washed the grime of today's previous battles off, so the sudden appearance of a black armored warrior covered in the blood of slain enemies and his horde of loyal soldiers was more than the elves could handle. They were just ceremonial guards after all, trained to look good and stand for long intervals, not to do any actual fighting. As the elves milled about indecisively, survival instincts battling it out with their loyalty to the rulers of elvenkind, Hanson got tired of waiting.

"May I make a suggestion?" He asked in a magically amplified voice. "Run." That was all the encouragement the elven soldiers needed to scatter and run towards the tunnel, dropping their weapons as they ran. The only one who didn't run must have been some sort of veteran. His hair was snow white and his face lined with past hardships. "I give you credit for your bravery," Hanson said. "But I suggest you hand over the gate key and go."

"What gate key?" The elf asked, eyebrow raised. "I know nothing about any gate keys." The Overlord rolled his eyes inside the privacy of his helmet and turned to the horde behind him. "Gruul, tear his arms off." The minion is question, a tough-looking brown with multiple piercings in his long ears and several long scars and an eye patch from the time he had fought an axe wielding troll. Gruul had lost an eye. The Troll lost its life and the dual axes that the brown now planted firmly into the ground before threateningly cracking his knuckles and loping towards the aging elf.

"You mean this gate key?" The elf as he produced an ornate golden key inlaid with runes. He thrust the key into the Overlord's hands and took off running. Shaking his head, Hanson inserted the key into the gate's keyhole and turned. The minion horde then threw all their numbers into pushing it open until the gate shattered from stress. It was only then that Hanson realized the gate needed to be pulled outwards.

"Shut up," he muttered over the link as Assira snickered and Gnarl coughed over something that sounded suspiciously like a snort. In fact, Elizabeth was the only one who did not produce any noise of amusement. The Overlord and his minion horde entered the tunnel that lay beyond and followed it until they reached the exit some scant minutes later.

This exit opened into something unlike Hanson or his three backseat drivers had never seen before. Before them lay a valley that ended in a beachside resort complete with palm trees and other tropical vegetation as well as typical resort buildings made of thatch. The most incredible and unbelievable part was the fact that the vegetation was real and that the entire area was lit up by what appeared to be miniature sun.

"That is quite the artifact they have there," Gnarl said, clearly impressed. "If it can sustain an underground ecosystem, it must be incredibly powerful indeed." Hanson nodded in mute agreement and looked around for a path leading towards the resort. A quarter of an hour later, the Overlord and his horde arrived at the bottom of the valley and followed the single lane road to the resort walls. The elves inside must have felt quite safe as the gate was completely unguarded. Hanson shrugged and went inside, minions following.

Inside the resort's thatch walls a massive celebration was in full swing. Hundreds of elves danced as a group of musicians played on a stage in the center of the subdivision that the Overlord had entered. Nearby, more elves relaxed on lawn chairs facing the beach and the crashing waves of the underground lake. Attractive serving girls dressed in clothes that left very little to the imagination wandered the grounds with trays of delicacies and drink or danced onstage with the musicians. As Hanson took this scene in, he heard a choking noise over the link. "It appears that Gnarl has gone into shock," Assira said dryly.

The Overlord gestured to his minions and they spread to encircle the crowds to prevent any hope of escape. Then, Hanson fired off a fireball and blew it up in mid air. The band stopped playing and the elves turned to look at the intruder, fear invading their features. "The party is over. Try to run and you will be slain. Cooperate, and you will live," Hanson said as he gazed at the crowd. The most elves mutely accepted their fate and began to trudge towards the tunnel under the watchful guard of the Overlord's minions. There were some isolated incidents of resistance that were quickly put down and persuaded the rest of the elves that cooperation was best. After all, the sight of their kin running around on fire was more than enough to cow what rebellious individuals remained.

"I advise that you decide what to do with that artifact sire." Gnarl said as he recovered from seeing more representations of female beauty than he had seen in the previous century. "You could take it back to the tower and destroy the resort. Giblet tells me it would provide the forge with substantial heat and make forging weapons and armor easier. Alternatively, you could leave it here and use the resort as an outpost and vacation spot for the winter months. Many of your future subjects would pay quite the handsome fee to come here and enjoy the fine fruit this place has to offer. Especially those serv-" Gnarl was cut off by what sounded like a stinging slap. "Especially the food and drink," the minion master concluded. "Which do you choose?"

A/N: Which do you choose? Let me know in the comments/reviews section.

As always, please let me know how I can improve and point out errors so I can correct them.


	36. Chapter 36

A/N: Wow. It's been a while, hasn't it? Fear not, I am here. I will finish this story off soon enough. We are , in fact, witnessing the final moves of the game. Stay tuned and enjoy. :)

**Chapter XXXVI: One Step Closer**

"I'll keep it," the Overlord said after several seconds of consideration. "Very well sire," Gnarl said, pleased with the decision. Domination tended to have a longer life expectancy than their Destruction counterparts. The minion master was pleased his young sire had the wisdom and foresight to plan ahead. "Nevertheless, I'd suggest you explore the area for the projection tower that crystal is implanted in."

Hanson nodded and set out towards the resort's rear gate. As he walked past, minions specially summoned for garrison duties bowed to him. While he walked towards his next objective, the Overlord pondered the future. Revenge was close, the pieces were falling into place for his rule of the known lands at last. At last, the armored warrior arrived at the rear gates of the resort and thrust them open. The dried reeds, more decorative than protective, easily gave way to reveal a trail leading upwards into the mountains. "Elves were never particularly subtle about hiding their artifacts. I'd bet at least three delicious beetles that the projection tower is somewhere along that path."

Shaking his head in disbelief at the simplicity of the elves, the Overlord pressed onwards. As Hanson and his minion horde continued through the jungle, the atmosphere grew noticeably thicker, as if the plants themselves were leaning in. The trees' thick canopies blocked out the sun, shrouding the forest floor in shadow. The sounds of nature receded until all that was audible was the pitter-patter of the minions' feet and the dull thumps of the Overlord's armored boots. As he passed through the jungle vegetation, Hanson became aware of a presence observing him from a distance. The Overlord loosened his sword in its sheath and moved on.

Soon, the jungle receded and Hanson found himself blinking at the bright sunlight. As his eyes adjusted to the light, the Overlord saw a stone tower rising out of the mountainside. "There it is!" Gnarl said excitedly. "If my mind serves me right, these types of towers have external staircases due to the various magical instruments that occupy the interior." As the Overlord and his horde closed in on the tower, external stairs became evident. The air became charged with the passive magical energy. Making the hair stand on the nape of Hanson's neck.

It was when he was standing at the base of the three hundred-foot tower that the Overlord realized that the sun had not moved at all in the sky since he had first set foot in the resort. "It seems the maintenance crew has run off. Pity, I would have liked to figure out how such artifacts operated. Oh well, it seems the only thing one can rely on an elf to do these days is run away at the first hint of trouble," Gnarl said.

While the minion master was sunk in his own thoughts, Hanson was eyeing the seemingly countless stairs that led to the top with distaste. After an afternoon of trekking through the jungle, the prospect of climbing hundreds of steps appealed little to his tired feet. "Unfortunately, the minions are not strong enough to carry your imposing presence around sire," Gnarl said. With a lopsided smirk, the Overlord began the climb.

Ten minutes later, an exhausted Hanson stood at the top of the stairs. The tower's spires reached inwards, similar to a flower that had yet to bloom. In the middle of the platform, a statue of the Mother Goddess cradled a jewel so bright, it could have put the real sun to shame. As the Overlord walked closer, he shielded his eyes from the glare to closer examine the jewel and that action saved his life. An arrow imbedded itself in Hanson's left hand, easily slicing through the Arcanium plating.

"Dark One, I will not allow you to claim this gift from the Mother Goddess for your evil intentions!" A mysterious green-clad figure cried as it appeared. "Ironic, considering that jewel is clearly of human magework. Our elven clearly should have checked the etchings on the side," Gnarl sniggered. The elf dramatically threw off his hood, revealing the archer to be none other that Oberon himself. The elf king raised his arms, muttering ancient incantations. "See how the power of nature triumphs over all!" Oberon declared as the Overlord and his horde were surrounded by treants that appeared out of thin air.

"Oh and he's off again. Elves are very prone to theatrics. I suggest you kill him quickly and end his monologue before he talks you to death sire." The Overlord freed his sword from its sheath and swung at the nearest offending treant. The blade bit deeply into the wood, but to Hanson's amazement, the wood regenerated, trapping his blade inside. A few fruitless tugs later confirmed that it was stuck fast. Giving up on the hopeless pursuit, the Overlord abandoned the melee to his minions as he searched for the root(A/N: pun so absolutely intended) of the problem: Oberon. The elf fired off several arrows at his armored opponent, but they were neutralized with quick puffs of flame that incinerated them in mid air. As Hanson closed in, the elf tossed aside his bow and drew an elegant saber before shifting into a fighting stance. Unfortunately for Oberon, his fighting style was designed to hold off opponents armed with bladed weapons. The Overlord had nothing so elegant in mind as his armored right fist connected with the elf's jaw. Hanson followed up with a right hook that threw Oberon further off balance and knocked him away from his position near the statue. The elf rolled out of the way and swung out with his blade, catching the Overlord in between the plates on his left arm. Oberon easily dodged Hasnon's next attack, as the young warrior had only working arm.

The Overlord decided it was time for a change of tactics. He rushed forward, ignoring the elf's blade as it scored numerous superficial injuries. The elf realized too late what Hanson had in mind as his back hit the side of the tower. The Overlord grabbed Oberon by the collar and smashed his armored head into the elf's nose. Blood spewed and the elf king reeled, momentarily stunned. Using the elf's confusion to his advantage, Hanson lifted Oberon as high as he could and flung him over the edge. The elf screamed all the way down. "Yet another ruler falls before your Dark Majesty! Your dominion over Evernight is finally complete. Now wait until I can open a gate for you," Gnarl said over the psychic link. The familiar blue circle appeared seconds later and Hanson gratefully stepped on the waypoint.

The Overlord stepped out of the tower portal, his wounds sealing themselves instantly. The arrow imbedded in his left arm clattered to the ground before it turned to ash. Hanson made his way across the red carpet to his throne before sinking into it with a grateful sigh. He stretched out his legs while Gnarl, Assira, and Elizabeth stood at a respectful distance. "Some refreshment sire?" Gnarl inquired. "Perhaps some freshly roasted unicorn and a mug of dwarven ale? You need to keep your strength up after a hard day of smiting things!" "Skip the formalities and have dinner brought up here," Hanson said, removing his helmet. The stresses of fighting for his life were becoming evident on the young man's face. Deep shadows were emerging under his eye sockets while the eyes themselves were glazed with fatigue. As minions hauled dinner up to the throne room, the mistresses excused themselves and vanished upstairs.

"It may not be my place to advise you on the private matters of your...social circle sire, but I believe you should spend more time with your mistresses. Happy mistresses means a happy Overlord," Gnarl counseled sagely, stroking his beard. "I'll keep that in mind Gnarl. Now, let me hear the atest reports." "The forest of Evernight is now wholly under your control. Those elves that escaped the human armies or your own dark majesty have fled to the Golden Hills to ally themselves with the dwarves in their quest to bring William to justice." Gnarl produced a flask from inside his cloak and took a quick swig before continuing (herbal essence he told anyone who asked. In reality it was his private stash of firewhiskey from the time of the fourth Overlord over three hundred years ago. It had aged remarkably well).

"The paladin generals are marshaling their hosts to meet the dwarves' advance from the Golden Hills and the elven raids. There has been a rise in pro-human sentiment and most non-humans have fled the kingdom. Both sides are convinced the other is the aggressor, thus assuring a prolonged conflict. As such, I suggest you move to take the Golden Hills next while the majority of the dwarves are distracted." "It is a good plan, but how will I sneak past the border patrols?" Hanson inquired. "Let me worry about that sire. I suggest you get some sleep."

A/N: Review please, and as always, voice your suggestions/ideas. Until next time.


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